The Gang
by Rumbling Night Cutter
Summary: Hiccup is a miserable outcast, a freak in the tribe of Berk. But hey, he's got a gang of friends to keep him company, sooo he can't complain. But he has to deal with the other two gangs to win his group the honor of killing the Stormcutter at the end of training. But what about the Night Fury in the woods he made freind's with. Oh, Hiccup, what have you done! Friendly!Astrid
1. Chapter 1

This, is Berk. We might not really be the most, well, advanced or civilized settlement at this, or any, point in history, but I'd like to think that we have something to offer here. We got beautiful nature, charming sunsets, wondrous sunsets, and, oh, oh yeah-

"DRAGONS!" I heard a man yell outside and shot up. Oh, great. First solid night of rest in a week and it's raining flaming winged lizards. Ah well.

I ran to the door and hoisted it open, only to find the leering grin of a Monstrous Nightmare waiting for me on the other side- I SWEAR it was looking at me smugly- as it blasted its napalm fire at me. I barely managed to close the door in time. "Dragons," I agreed with the man breathlessly, and dashed out.

Oh yeah, forgot. Introductions. My name's Hiccup. Great name right? Eh, there are worse around Berk. You see, parents think a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls. I met some trolls, but they were to busy playing with this wacky reindeer and a freaky snowman to notice me.

Oh wait, sorry, getting carried away. Back to the reptiles. For seven or eight generations, us Vikings have been battling in a bitter fight for survival with the beasts. Though I'm not your typical mountainous, rippling with muscle, beard-like-bear-fur Viking. I'm more, stick like and baby faced. But I do have my merits.

"Hiccup? Whatta doin here?!" A passing Viking yelled.

"Gobbah's waiting in the Forge!" Another said, jumping past me.

"I'm-I'm on it!" I yelled past, getting a bit distracted by Hoark the Haggard leaping off a cliff to rescue a sheep from a Nadder.

I dashed through the melee of Vikings and dragons, nearly getting blown up by a Zippleback on the way. Vikings would shout warnings or semi friendly greetings as I passed.

"Gronkle on your left Hiccup."

"Nadder spike! Watch your head!"

"RAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH. Mornin'!"

Suddenly a hand grabbed my shirt and pulled me away from a strafing Nightmare. "Hiccup," a man who looked to weigh four hundred pounds, with an auburn beard three times bigger than his own head, said, lifting me up. "Hiccup," he said, a bit more gently. "We could use more Manglers on the northeast bank. How many you got left in the shop." That, was Stoick the Vast, Cheif of Berk. Legend says when he was a baby he popped a dragon's head clear off its shoulders. Do I believe it? Eh. I'm pretty sure it was a Terror.

"Uh, uhh. Only, only one- and I'm kinda-"

"Save that one Hiccup. It could be important later. Manglers?"

"Still in development. But the I've got four metal sheilds at the ready." I responded. If it isn't clear, I'm an inventor. At first people wouldn't give my little inventions the time of day, but when I improved the telescope so well we saw the dragons long before the dragons even fired the first shot, Stoick gave them a go. As far as I know he hasn't regretted it.

Stoick nodded. "Good. Pass some to Phlegma and tell her to bring them to me!"

I nodded earnestly and dashed away to the forge, complying with Stoick's orders before stealing on my apron and repairing damaged aprons.

"Ohhhh, nice if you to join the party. Thought you'd been carted off!" The blacksmith, Gobber, my mentor, said. He excelled in Viking mass, but was lacking in one arm and one leg. He's made up for it though, by making an array of tools in place of his hand.

I lifted his Mace-hand (stupid messy Gobber. Never cleans up-) and put it back on the rack. "Oh, who me? Naw, what would they want with allllll this!?" I struck a bodybuilder pose to joke the blond half limbed Viking. "Well, they need the Toothpick, don' they?" He answered.

Most of the raid continued with me trying to band Berg's sword back into shape, but a hand suddenly grabbed me from behind. "Come on Hiccup. I just got a call in that some hotburples have been giving the forge the stink eye. Better get clear before they try anything funny!"

I nodded and suddenly stopped. "The last mangler-"

He picked up the stored device and shoved it roughly at me. "Come on. The ol' grump up there is making me nervous!" Gobber said and hobbled out.

I chuckled and shook me head. Gobber's always given Hotburples their space. I secretly think they took one of his limbs. "I'll join yeh father hiccup. Go find ye freinds. Stay. With. Them." I gave him a deadpan look. "You know what I mean. RAAGHHH!" He raced away, unaware his left arm was still equipped with tongs and not a weapon.

I shook my head and pushed the Mangler away, to a small group that was running around trying to put out fires. My gang, commonly known as the Weirdos. Most of us were twigs like me, but I'm the only one phisicaly weak. Most tended to avoid us because we were to small or too smart or, in Thuggory's case, we're not born into the tribe. We wernt much but we were friends. There was Fishlegs, a big boy on bearskin with more brains then he had body mass, the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, our main man of muscle Thuggory, a large raven haired dude with the traditional Viking build, and- Astrid!

I swear that Gronkle knew what it was doing when it blew up the house behind her, framing her perfect form in sexy- NO! BAD HICCUP! SHE'S YOUR CHILDHOOD FRIEND, NO BAD THOUGHTS! Anyway, Astrid was the strongest girl on Berk but hardly had a chance to prove it, since someone was always trying to shelter her. I'd tried to at one point. I still have nightmares!

The fire cleared and Thuggory heafted the Mangler over his shoulder- show off- and gave me a playfull grin. "Having trouble there little buddy?" I scowled at him.m. "Hiccup, shouldn't you be in the forge?" Astrid asked, pumping the water trough to refill her bucket. "A hotburple was eyeing the place, you know how Gobber is." I answered casualy and she nodded. "Looks like the fires are out of control. There's nothing we can do." Fishlegs said, dissapointed.

"Agghhh!" Astrid groaned, hitting the water trough with her fist. "We nearly had it! That's it, Hiccup, you gotta talk Stoick into putting us into training with the others!"

"Yeah man! Even Snotlout is going in. SNOTLOUT! That's like being picked after a concussed Terror, only The dragon would be smarter!" Tuffnut said, waving his arms indignantly.

I coughed, a little amused by his display. "I'll- I'll see what I can do. But what do you want to kill dragons for anyway?"

They looked at me in shock. "Dude," Ruffnut started. "Killing a dragon is EVERYTHING around here!" Tuffnut finished.

"Yeah." Fishlegs said. "A Nadder's head would get us at least noticed. The Scuttleclaws would make Snotlout kiss the ground before our feet! Killing a Gronkle would get one of us a date, and a hotburple would earn even Cami's envy. Zippleback, twice the status. Snaptrapper, FOUR TIMES THE STATUS! Rumblehorns and Thunderdrums would make us heroes. Monsterous nightmares,Whispering Deaths, Skrills or, in some impossible universe, the Stormcutters, would make us LEGENDARY!"

Suddenly a loud ballistic shriek, like the air was screaming, sounded. "NIGHT FURY!" Hoark yelled.

"GET DOWN!" Spitelout answered, and the worriors ducked under their shields as the catapult in use burst into blazing blue light.

"But the ultimate prize is the one no ones ever seen," Astrid said. She had a greedy look in her eye, and her fingers ghosted over the handle of her battle axe. "It never steaks food, never shows itself and-" the catapult was blasted again. "Never misses. No one has EVER killed a Night Fury. And as the best Viking in Berk, I'm gonna be the first!" She grinned and I rolled my eyes. "Please Astrid. What are you gonna do, yell at it until it lands and challange it to a duel?"

That earned me an icy glare and an unsheathed battle axe. I gulped and nervously hid behind Fishlegs.

Without warning a whispering death shot out of the ground under us. "GAHHH!" The twins yelled in unison and slammed into each other trying to get away. Thuggory dropped the Mangler, Fishlegs ran, and Astrid heafted her weapon, before a large figure suddenly tackled the serpentine dragon. "Mind yourselves! These Devils pop up outta nowhere!" He yelled.

They were so distracted by the dragon that they didn't notice me haul the Mangler away.

I set it up at the final remaining catapult. "Come on, Night Fury!" I whispered. "Gimme something to shoot at!"

I got my wish as the Night Fury blasted the catapult. Keeping on target, I trained the Mangler on it and FIRED!

The bolas whipped through the air. I say them smack into the dark shape and it roared in pain, falling, falling, FALLING!

"OHHH YEA!" I yelled. "I HIT THE NIGHTFURY! Did ANYONE see tha-"

CRACK.

I spun on me heel to see the splintered remains of the Mangler- underneath the foot of the same smug looking Monstrous Nightmare that had blasted the house.

"Except for you." I deadpanned, running and screaming for my life. The Nightmare- the Thor-damned thing was PLAYING with me, like a cat, letting our little bursts to heard me until I found myself behind a torch pillar for protection as napalm fire flew around both sides of me. Nervously I peeked around, seeing nothing. Then I felt warm breath on my neck.

I turned at Stoick tackled the Nightmare in the face. They landed a few feet away, the nightmare trying to intimidate the Viking cheif with a snarl while Stoick mearly readjusted his hemet- how it stays on in the first place is beyond me. It tried to fire, but what came out was a pathetic little glowing glob. It tried again weakly before opting for a sheepish dragon grin. "Your all out!" Stoick muttered menecingly before repeatedly beating the Nightmare's face in. It flew away in terror, growing angrily.

Stoick turned to look at me before something happened behind me. The damaged, still lit torch pillar fell, crashing down and demolishing half the village as I watched. I could feel Stoick's glare heating with each ounce of damage. Finaly a group of captured Nadder's got away, using the nets that had confined them to carry away a good number of sheep.

I nervously turned.

"Sorry… dad."

Too late. I was hauled into the village square. "Why couldn't you just stay with the others Hiccup!" He yelled. "Dad, wait, I have something really important to-"

"STOP!" He yelled. I immeadiatly shut up. "Hiccup, every time you step outside, DISASTER falls! Why can't you just stay inside and build your inventions, your feild tests do more harm than good!"

"But it was the Mangler, and I hit a-"

"ENOUGH HICCUP!" He roared. "Can't you see, winter is almost here, and I have an entire village to feed."

Oh, he was just asking for this one. "Well, the village COULD do with a little less feeding, don't you think?!"

A few Vikings stir self consciously, but I heard a few sniggers from my friends. I glanced to see Astrid with her hand over her mouth to smother them. That only encouraged my smartmouth. "I mean, sure there are still some of us who don't outweigh a grizzly, but still-"

I was cut off by his harsh glare. Then his sighed resignedly. "Just go home Hiccup. I have your mess to clean up."

I'm hung my head and sulked away, cackles reaching my ear. "I've NEVER seen anyone mess up that bad!" My oh so delightful cousin Snotlout said. "That HELPED!" Behind him was his own gang, all musclebound and stupid. But Snotlout was the one with the highest status, so…

Before he could continue his voice had to contend with the tiny-but-might fist slammed into his gut as Astrid punched him. The blond girl smirked as he sunk, wheezing.

I grinned at her. "Tha-OW!" She punched me in the shoulder, reproachfully, while looking at me with a glare in her eyes. "That's for leaving." She said and hauled me off. As we reached my house, I sighed. "I really did hit one."

"I know Hic." She said tiredly.

"I mean, he never listens! And when he does, it's always with this dissapointed scowl like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich." I puffed out my chest and Astrid rolled her eyes. "Ohhhhh here we go." She muttered, but I saw the little smile on her face as I began my Stoick impression. "Excuse me barmaid, Im afraid ye' brought me the wron offspring. I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms, extra guys and glory on the side, and a bit of brains on top! Look at this, this is a talking fishbone with TOO MUCH brains." Astrid had become very sober and looked at me oddly. "Um, Astrid, why are you-"

Before I knew it she had pulled me into a hug. "Hiccup, I know your dad seems like that, but, you know, it's hard for him too. He's got a lot of stress." She released me and I nodded. "Thanks 'strid." Then she smirked and punched me again. "OW! What was that one for!?" I looked at her with slight fear. "That was for disrespecting your cheif."

Another Punch. "That was for sulking."

Punch number four. "and that- was for beating me to the Night Fury."

I looked at her with right. "Someone besides the smug Nightmare saw that." She said with a begrudging smile. "Go on Fishbone, you won this one fair and square. I won't tell the gang yet."

My heart sang with gratitude that she was my friend. "I'll see you then." I said and dashed into the woods.

"I'm coming for you, Night Fury!" I growled.

##############################

Question: should toothless loose his fin? I've always enjoyed the fics where he's whole, but I'll leave it to you guys.

Anyway, HAVE MERCY PLEASE THIS WAS WRITTEN AFTER A DAY OF HIGHSCHOOL ON AN IPHONE AND ITS THE FIRST FIC SO BE KIND IN THE REVEIWS.

Untill next time then.


	2. Astrid Fury

**Hello anyone reading this! It is I, with the epic story of Not-Alone-Hiccup!**

**To answer a question:**

**marine1324: YES, THIS IS VERY MUCH HICCSTRID, AND FOR BEING THE FIRST REVIEWER, REQUEST ACCEPTED! I AM IN NEED OF BETA PM ME IF YOU ARE WILLING TO TAKE IT ON!**

**TO SUNC: FOLLOW IS APPRECIATED, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT NEXT TIME! LOOK WHAT IT DID FOR MARINE!**

**Seriously, first person to answer this will have their decision put in the story: Should Toothless keep his tailfin?**

**And, as per marine's request, Astrid's POV of "The downed dragon," in**

** NIGHT FURY TO THE FACE!**

ASTRID'S POV:

I was letting go way to easily. Ever since I learned that the flightmare would only come so many times, the Night Fury looked like my ticket to be looked at as a legend, not a future housewife.

But it was HICCUP who shot it down. If it had been, say, Snotlout, or Tantrum, or Speedifist, or ANYONE, I would have told them to stay outta my way. But. It. Was. HICCUP! My childhood friend who I didn't have the heart to take glory away from. Odin knows the poor guy needs it, especially after his rant about Chief Stoick. As funny as that was, Hiccup really shouldn't have had a reason to think like that.

So, I let him have the stupid Night Fury. I would still be able to lop the Flightmare's head off in a few months.

But I couldn't really let it go, could I? What if the Fury got loose and mauled him? That's not something I need on my conscience! I found him soon enough.

"GAAHHHHHH! THOR! ODIN! LOKI, YES, I'M LOOKING AT YOU LOKI! WHY?! WHY DO YOU ALL HATE ME?!" He yelled, stuffing his sketchbook back into his pocket. He smacked a branch, and I nearly giggled when it came back to repay the favor. Then my blood went cold as his eyes traveled up. I followed them. The massive tree was BENT, SNAPPED IN HALF, a huge rut leading away from it. Little black things dotted the torn up ground, and Hiccup made his way through it. Suddenly he gasped and hid behind a rock. What had scared him, I wondered. The Night Fury? I creeped around the edge of the rut. Down there, tied up, completely still, was the Night Fury, the most deadly of the known dragons, that set iut catapaults and homes to Helheim in a blaze of unmidgardly blue light and fire.

It was... kinda small. Only a little bigger than a yak, actually. It was laying on its side, Hiccup's bola's wrapped tightly around it with bloodstains on the ropes. It was a beautiful creature, with a sleek, arrow shaped body, and the two huge wind, one slightly open and held in place by the bola rope. It didd't weild the sheep terror of the Nightmare or Whispering Death, but anyone could tell this thing would kill in an instant!

Hiccup slid down to the trapped Night Fury, pulling out his dagger. I nearly went in and killed him for that. Really Hiccup, you go to face the deadliest dragon known to Viking and all you bring is a KNIFE?! SERIOUSLY?! Why do I even hang around this kid?

_Because you like him, _an annoying part of me that woke up when I was thirteen said. _Shut up, _I shot back at it.

"Oh, oh OH I DID IT!" Hiccup said, elated, throwing his noodle arms above his head, grinning like a madman, which he might possibly be. "Oh, OH YES THIS FIXES _EVERYTHING!_ YES! I HAVE BROUGHT DOWN THIS MIGHT BEAST!" H planted a foot on the fallen dragon's foreleg, only for the Night Fury to moan, which sounded like "NOOO!" And kick him off. Hiccup stumbled back a few feet, breathing hard. Then, shakily, he walked back over to his quarry, weapon in hand. He took a few deep breaths and looked down at the dragon, which made a few deep, pained moans- wait, _pained_? It was a dragon, it couldn't feel pain, or fear or-

I was inturupted from my train of thought by Hiccup talking in a _definitely-not-Hiccup_ voice. "I'm gonna- I'm gonna kill you dragon! I'm gonna cut out your heart and take it to my father! Your head's gonna decorate my room! Dad's gonna look at it EVERY morning and tell me how proud he is that can do _something_ other than make machinery! Because I'm a Viking. I'M A VIKING!"

It moaned in pain again and looked Hiccup straight in the eye. The hunter's acidic green orbs to the kind emerald disks of the inventor. Hiccup tried to look away, but he couldn't seem to.

_ Come on Hiccup!_ I thought.

He looked at the eyes again.

_ You'll kill a dragon._

His arms trembled.

_Your life will get infenitly better!_

He gasped slightly. The Night Fury groaned and dropped it's head in resignation, giving up.

_You might even get a... Oh, who am I kidding. He's not gonna kill the Night Fury. It's giving him the same look he gives me whenever Stocik yelles at him._

The knife dropped-

Onto the head of the internaly battling Hiccup as he wrestled with his morals. He looked like he was cutting off his own leg, before deep disappointment and guilt overtook his roundish face. He dropped the knife to his sides, then eyed the Night Fury mournfully. "I did this." He glanced to his blade. "Sorry Astrid."

My eyes widened in realization. "Hiccup-" I yelled, but he was already sawing through the bloody ropes- and the positions were swapped. Headly hunter now poised to kill sweet inventor. But to my surprise, Hiccup didn't even squirm. He looked right into the black dragon's eyes, before if reared back, opening it's wings a little to resemble a growing shadow and-

"ROOOOOAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The Night Fury roared in Hiccup's face, then leapt in the opposite direction, roaring in pain, while Hiccup tried not to have a heart attack.

Finally he got up, and I jumped out of my hiding spot. "Hiccup, you Loki-damned, scrawny limbed, son of a half troll, how could you-'

"Uggagggah." He made an incomprehensible noise and fainted dead away, my mouth half open in beration.

HICCUP'S POV

Ohhhhhhhh gods. Astrid saw me. Start planning the feuneral now, please.

That was my first thought when I woke up and saw her beautiful face ready to murder me.

"GAH! Astrid! Oh, THOR! Why-" two heart attack in one day, how's that for life on the edge? That, and an Astrid slap to the face.

"Hiccup," she growled as I clutched the cheek she smacked. "Yeah?"

"Your an idiot."

I rolled my eyes and pulled my knees to my chest. Well, good to know she didn't actually want to kill me. "And in other news, Gronkles are extreamly ugly, and I'm pretty sure Nightmare's have a vendetta against me." This time it was her turn to roll her eyes.

"Hiccup, this is serious. You just shot down the _Night Fury_ and let it go."

I considered this. If anyone found out- GOODBYE LIFE, GOODBYE TRIBE, GOODBYE EVERYTHING. "Well, at the very least I wounded it. Maybe it's grounded. Dunno. Gonna have to go back and UG!"

The UG, was because I suddenly found my throuat between her battle axe's blades. "Don't you dare go back there Hiccup!" She growled. "I swear to Asgard, if you do, I'll-"

"Ok! OK!" I held out my hands, hoping to placate my longtime friend. She was red faced with anger. If I had to choose between making the wrong move with her right now and taking the Night Fury in a one-on-one fair fight, I'd choose the dragon.

"I won't go back, ok 'Strid?" She huffed and blew her bangs out of her eyes. "I guess." She said, then punched me in the arm. HARD!

"OWWWWW!" I moaned. "Why."

"That was for letting the Night Fury get away." She said, then seemed to battle herself. "And this-" she leaned forwar, but seemed to have a second thought, and ended up hugging me, "Is for not betraying who you are. See you tomorrow, Fishbone." With that, she darted through the trees.

When I returned home, Dad looked pissed. Well, more so than usual. I almost made it up the stair when- "Son?"

"Dad? I, kinda need to tell ya something."

"I need to speak with you too son."

We both took a deep breath.

"I've decided to its time for you to fight dragons.'  
>"I've decided I really don't want to fight dragons."<p>

"What?"

"What?"

We stared at each other. He was confused too. Oh well, at least it's not meat-skimped-scowl.

"You go first,' I said timidly, my throat still throbbing tom the Night Fury's claws. He cleared his throat. "Alright. You get your wish. Dragon training with your team. You start in the morning."

"Oh!" I said. NOT GOOD! "I should have gone first, because, you know, maybe should, well, start working with Gobber full time, you know, molton steel, razor sharp blades, who knows what insanely epic new weapon may come out of it eh?"

Oh, great. Meat-skimped-scowl is back. "This isn't a joke Hiccup." He heafted an axe at me. "When you carry this weapon, you carry all of your ancestors who fell to dragon fire. You WALK like they did,"

Pretty sure I need to be bigger for that.

"You talk like they did."

Oo' yah, shoor. E'll work on the' accent righ noow.

"You THINK like they did."

Why am I being banned from thinking?!

"No more of, this." He gestured to all of me. Ok, that hurt. A lot. I didn't even bother to answer. "I'm going on another nest raid. I'll be beck. Probobly."

"And I'll be hare. Less probably." I muttered.

After that, I sighed and dropped the axe Well, tomorrow was gonna suck. A Night Fury, Dragon Training, and a protective Astrid.

Ohhhhhhh. What have I done?!


	3. Gronkle, Gronkle, Gronkle

**Anyone here enjoy DOCTOR WHO?**

**Well,** thanks** to marine1324's permission on swiping the idea, soon Toothless will sail the timestream with Hiccup, Astrid and the Doctor in Time Fury!**

**But for now, it's time for Not-Alone-Hiccup to face the Gronkle...s**

_**Hehehehehehehe**_

**Poor Viking teens. Great time for Gobber though. To be clear, the areana is NOT like the one in the movie. It's much larger with lots and lots of cages controlled through a set of leavers. It sort of like a pit with dragon cages lining the walls, at least one for every named type of dragon in the franchise and about 10 more.**

I sighed as I walked into the arena, behind the twins. Today was gonna be miserable. The along with my own gang was Snotlout, and his friends, Speedifist, Wartihog, Dogsbreath, Clueless and Tantrum. Most were typical lage Viking teens, but Tantrum was the only girl in Snotlout's group. She was pretty, with orange hair and a similar build to Astrid, but she was about as plesent as a Gronkle Shot to the face.

The other group was Camicazi, Astrid's little sister, who had earned the respect of the village by stealing everything, even Dad's underpants while he was wearing them. Sure she needed about three weeks of therapy afterwards, but still, mad respect for the Mini-Astrid. Her gang was made up of Heather, Eret, Dagur, a boy named Sven, and worst of all, Tuffnut and Ruffnut's cousin, Nuttnut. He looked like Tuff, only buffer, and with one iris bigger than the other, and making a creepy laugh at random times. A conversation with Nuttnut was... disturbing, to say the least.

Gobber hauled the door open. "Welcome tah dragoon training." He said, a grin of pleasure on his face. Oh, something's gonna happen. This is gonna be really, really bad. Astrid stepped in, confident as ever, axe slung over her shoulder. The three gangs ohhhed and ahhhhed the arena. Really, it's not that interesting, but I guess Clueless has anexcuse, since his condition is similar to Bucket's.

"Ok class, listen up because I'm only gonna say this once. Your here to be Vikings, not babies. One of you nickes your finder, or has a tummy ache, keep it to yourself."  
>"Um, Gobber," Fishlegs interupted. The blacksmith Viking sighed. "Yes, fishlegs," he said in a tone screaming he was waiting for a stupid question or an annoying fact. "You are aware those things can be the result of a Nadder spike, right."<p>

Gobber dropped his condescending expression. He had not thought of that. "Well, um, er." Fishles grew a smug grin. "Shut it Fhishy." Gobber growled. "At the end of training, one team shall be given the honor of killing their first dragon in front of the entire village," he mimed snapping a neck with his hook, "And thhe highest ranked one shall face the Stormcutter!" That was a big deal. In terms of status, Stormcutters were second only to Night Furies. "In this arena are the many species you will learn to fight. The Rumble Horn,"

"Tracking 11 Armor Max," Fishlegs said.

"Monstrous Nightmare."

"Firepower 15."

I rolled my eyes s they yammered on and spotted a stack of shields. Turning on my heel, I walked over and took one, made my way over to the weapons rack against the wall, and slipped behind it.

"What's the useless doing?" Snotlout muttered and Thuggory shrugged and looked at the twins, who were eyeing each other agressivly.

"WILL YOU STOP THA'," Gobber screamed at Fishlegs as he got to the last dragon on his list."And, Gronkles." He rested an arm on the leaver for the Gronkle cage. "Hiccup," Astrid said, "What are ya doing."

"Surviving," I answered dryly and sat down under the weapon rack.

"Wait, aren't you gonna-" Dogsbreath said, before I shouted, "I can tell you from personal experience, he belives in learning on the job." The slightly scared trainees turned to Gobber, who chuckled at his apprentice's antics. "What can I say. He's right."

He pulled the leaver and three Gronkles flew out, all buzzing and gurgling like mad. One was plain brown, another dark blue, and the last, and largest, bright pink.

"WOA!" Cami yelped and dove out of the blue Gronkle's assult. "YEEEEEASSSSSS!" Nuttnut cackled. "War. War, noise, noise!" The twins eyed him warily, inching away from their mentally disturbed cousin. Fishlegs foumd himself chased around by the brown gronkle, screaming at the top of his lungs. "Gobber," Eret yelled, "are you sure this is safe?"

"eh, safety's overrated!" Gobber scoffed, filling his trainees with dread of the days to come.

"Today is about survival. If you get blasted, your dead." Gobber said, though I don't know whre he had hobbled off to after setting the gronkles loose. "What's the first thing your gonna need in anydragon fight?"

"The intelligence to run," I muttered.

"Plus five speed?"  
>"A shield!" Astrid said, diving out of the way as the pink Gronkle tried to flatten her.<p>

"Correct, shield! Your most important equipment is the shield. You'll live longer with a good defense!" Gobber intoned. "Wait- HICCUP, GET IN THERE!" Sighing, I got up from my hiding spot and joined Ruffnut and Thuggory as the ran around the brown Gronkle, making noise like Gobber had told us to. The Gronkles seemed to have targeted the groups. The blue one went after Snotlout and Company, The brown one on us, and the Pink had taken a special interest in Cami's group.

Each gang fought for survival. Cami's group was the first to go, ending with Dagur the last member standing, yelling at the gronkle to fight hm like a male of any species. The gronkle, which I'm pretty sure was femaly, glared at him and probptly sat on the trainee,crushing the oxegen out of the berserk Viking. A fireball to the shield while flirting with Astrid ended Snotlout's team's run, and the last on ours was Astrid and I. "Well, we're the only ones left." I said casualy and she nodded, holding her shield up as the brown gronkle launched a fifth fireball for us. She dove away leaving me and my stupidly slow reflexes to nearly take the lava ball. "OH NO!" I heard her scream as the Gronkle case me. "One shot left," Gobber called. The Gronkle pinned me to a wall and held me there, its final bit of fire ready to tear me away from life.

I was so terrorified that I didd't notice Gobber's hook sneak in and wrangle the ugly dragon away from me. "And that's six," Gobber said, hauling the Gronkle away. I sat up, breathing heavily. "Shoddy job, all of yeh." Gobber announced. "And that was just three gronkles. But, the best I can do now is give you a warning. A dragon will always," he turned to stare at me meaningfully _always,_ go for the kill."

He limped away, and Astrid smacked me in the back of the head. "Ow! Why?" I glanced at her. She was pale and breathing rapidly. "For almost getting Gronkled." She said. "How was that-" she punched my arm. "OW!" I yelled, but the other trainiees gave us no attention. This was actualy pretty common. "I know that look in your eye. Don't go there!" She looked at me almost pleadingly. Gah, the puppy dog eyes! I haven't seen them since we were little…er.

I sighed and turned out the door I could feel Astrid's puppy eyes go to dragon glares behind me. More incentive to RUN!

And a few hours later, I went back there. I may have been signing a death warrant by defying Astrid, but I was studing a NIGHT FURY. How could I pass this up. I ran to where the dragon had been downed, searching for it. Dark red blood trailed its path from where it had pinned me. My knife was still there, in the mud. I picked the weapon up and pocketed it, folowing the blood trail

I came across a beautiful cove with a pond and hich walls and a waterfall. But no black dragon in sight. A few shadow colored scales, though. I picked one up and tapped it gently. "This was stupid."

Suddenly a black shape darted past me. The Night Fury!

I expected it to be flying, hunting, napping, posdibly plotting. But I did NOT expect it to be blindly flinging itself into the cliff sides. It tried to fly multiple times, only reaching just under the cove's border.

I whipped out my sketchbook and scetched it down, narrow body, large wings, tailfins. It didnt seem to be missing anything why wasn't it flying away?

Its tail fins hung limply off the end of its tail. There was a huge gash right in front of the tail fins. Oh…

Oh!

i had seen wounds like that, a simmilar wound had robbed the Twins' father of the use of his right leg.

I may not have cost him any limbs, but I had paralized the Night Fury's tail forever.

That was good, right? It cpuldnt fly away.

So why did I feel so ashamed of it?"

In my deep thought I dropped my charcoal as the Night Fury settled down for a nap It _clinked_ against the rock and I froze. The Night Fury looked at me. Ot diddnt shoot, just stared. Out of habit, I began metaly documenting its shape and proportion, idily noticing the patches of nighttime cloud grey on his scales, his bent spine spike, and the fact our eyes both asked the same question:

_Why did ypu let me live?_

**Sorry, sorry for how the first version ended, I made a mistake! But heres the real chapter 3! Toothless diddnt loose his fin, but he can't fly anymore ethir! So, quick question: Astrid will soon be training her own dragon. Should Stormfly remain the arena's blue Nadder in this fic or should she be a:**

**Stormcutter**

**Flightmare**

**Scuttleclaw**

**What do you think?**


	4. Dragon Training and Training a Dragon

**I'm going to get to Forbidden Friendship in this chapter if it kills me! But also, I need ideas on how Hiccup will get Toothless to Solo fly in GOTNF and HTTYD2. He cant really connect it to the right fin, because Toothless is parylized in BOTH fins in this continuity. So, comment or PM me with the ideas, and review the Gang and Time Fury. I want to do this pro someday an any feedback makes my day, so reach the chapter, hope you enjoy, have an EPIC whatever particular point in the day you read this, and I hope to see you all in my other stories!  
>Also, I will be rewriting the chapters, so don't complain about them being non-descriptive, they will be better in the future! Also to prewar you, Toothless gets a temporary name this chapter. He will still be called Toothless, but Hiccup tries to call him something different before Forbidden Friendship so bear with it Cannon-lovers<strong>

ASTRID'S POV

I grabbed some food and sat down next to Thuggory, who was nursing a wound from the Blue Gronkle. He glanced down at me, a pouting expression on hhis face. "That smith is insane," he muttered, "Those Gronkles were MASSIVE!"

"I dunno," Heather said, a ways away. "The brown one seemed kind of small compared to other Gronkles." Thuggory grumbled under his breath and went back to his wound and his chicken. Fishlegs stared forelornly at the wall. "Great, I got chased around by the little Gronkle."

"Yeah, wimp," Snotlout said, "Maybe all you looser teams should drop out now! We all know I'M gonna kill the Stormcutter, then, I'm gonna go bigger, and pull the NIGHT FURY outta the sky, and kill it!" He flexed his arms in a "Heroic," pose.

Behind him, Tantrum sighed with admiration, and I nearly threw up in my mouth. Nuttnut, Rufnut, and Tuffnut just stared in disbelief that someone could be that arrogant about the NIGHT FURY! Well, the twin's did, there looked like there was much more sinister happenings going on inside Nuttnut's head as he cackled evily. Tuffnut leaned towards his sister, "Is it to late to put him on a raft at sea?" Ruffnut nodded.

Snotlout's group, meanwhile, was laughing and clapping their leader on the back, telling him the Night Fury would never stand a chance against the might of Snotlout. Ugh! what an idiot. Gobber lumbered in, holding a huge lether bound book under his prosthetic. "All right, class, let's review, where did Dagur go wrong today?"

Dagur groaned and pulled his hemet over his eyes. Tuffnut snorted. "Uh, he told a female dragon to fight him like a male?" The Thorston snarked. Maybe we were spending to much time with Hiccup.

"Well, yes, tha' but he didn't keep track of how much power the gronkle had over him, if he had, he would have known how easily it could have crushed him." Gobber chuckled. "How about Astrid?"

Tantrum's admiration of Snotlout quickly turned to a sneer towards me. "The Hofferson princess showed up, instead of staying home and sewing where she belongs!" My fingers itched for my axe. Speedifist laughed next to her. "You said it, how long before they acualy marry her off so she can be shut up?"

Must. Resist. The urge. To. Behead. Them!

"She's always swinging around that axe, like she's actualy a worrior. Look at her, she's not that much bigger than Hiccup!"

Would I get in trouble if I punched him in the throat. Besides, that's not fair, Hiccup is strong enough to work the bellows of a forge on his own and Tantrum is basically the same size as me! That is SO not fair.

I just wanted to get out of there at the moment. Just because most of us had stick-like limbs, or that Fishlegs had a large brain, we were worthless to them?! It took everything in me not to attack them. I would disqualify us from the competition if I did.

The door creaked open and Hiccup entered, soaked to the bone. The poor boy looked like a drowned kitten as me miserably picked up a plate of food and plopped between me and Eret, who had fallen asleep an hour ago, faced pressed into the wood.

He just poked at his food, not eating, looking depressed. Where was the snarky engineer of our little group, who could always make us laugh with an insult to anyone who tried to make us miserable.

Had he... he hadn't... did he visit the Night Fury? He said he wouldn't. He promised-wait a minuet, no he didn't! The Fishbone didn't promise he wouldn't stay away from the dragon! The nerve Hiccup had!

_Yeah, _the annoying part of me said, which I was beginning to realize was my repressed girlish nature. _It's so cute how he thinks he can keep secrets from me!_ It squeeled, and I tried to mentaly beat it back into submission. But the depressed look on Hiccup's face only seemed to give it more reason to fight back.

I finally squished it as he looked at me an britened a bit. "Hey 'Strid." He said, and I glared at him, sending a visual message.

_ Did you go see the Night Fury?_

His eyes darted nervously. More eye narrowing, before he caved and nodded. _Aggggghhhhhh! _I screamed inside my head. Why did he have to be so, so, so HICCUP! Annoyingly curious, frighteningly clever, infuriatingly bull headed, and insufferably cute-

Wait, wha? Cute? Ok, not important right now. What was important was that Hiccup was risking his life for _curiosity._

_ Agh!_

Hiccup looked down as the storm rumbled outside. Gobber was looking at us and smirking. If he continued smirking, then he was gonna face my axe! It was obvious what was going on inside the smith's head.

Gobber loved to play matchmaker. He had talked every couple in the villiage into dating, and from the devious look in his eye, I could just tell he was plotting ways to get Hiccup to date me. But the blond Viking suddenly looked away innocently. "Looks like there's no attacks tonight."

He tossed his book on the table. "The Dragon Manual," he stated. "Everything we know, about every dragon we know of. Study up, some of the knowlage in there is useful."

"wait, you mean read," Tuffnut said, aghast. "While we're still alive?!"

"Unless Asgard's suffers divine dragon raids, i doubt they have a dragon manual there, guys," Hiccup said. 'might as well." There's the Hiccup-sarcasm!

The trainees drained out, leaving me, Hiccup, and the snoring Eret left in the great hall. "So, I guess we'll share?" Hiccup said.

I considered it. The book might be boring, but Hiccup would be trapped here with me, so I could force him to spill about the Night Fury. "Sure," I said, hiding my devious smirk. "Why not?"

Hiccup pulled the book open. "Thunderdrum. This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools. When startled it releases a roar so powerful it can kill a man at close range. Extreamly dangerous, kill on sight."

"Scuttleclaw, a close relitive of the Deadly Nadder. It had supirior size on its cousin, but lacks the poisonous spines on the tail. It expertly uses its claws to reduce its target to small peices, weather they be building, animal, or viking. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight."

"Rumblehorn, this powerhouse of the Tracker class had a nearly impenetrable hide and a devastating charge that leaves a trail of destruction in its wake. It's fore explodes on contact, and gets larger the longer it flies. Extremley dangerous, kill on-AGH" lightning sounded outside. Hiccup and I turned back to the book, slightly startled.

"Changewing, even newly hatched dragons can spray acid. The skrill, a manner of the elite Strike class, shoots lightning, zippleback, gronkle, Stormcutter, the Boneknapper, Whispering Death."

Hiccup began flipping through the pages. "chokes its victims, burries its victims, turns its victims Inside out, extremly dangerous, extremly dangerous, kill on sight, kill on sight, kill on sight-"

the book ended abruptly. "Night Fury," he whispered. "Speed unknown, size unknown. The unholly ofspring of loghtning and death itself, said to be created by thor against a village that offended him, the night fury rained lightning like fire on the Vikings for days. DO NOT engage the Night Fury. When you hear its shriek, hide and prey you are not on its target."

Hiccup looked at the pictureless page with disbelief. that's when I became curious. What had Hic discovered? I glanced at the book. "Hiccup, we need to-"

The scrawny Sort-Of-Viking was gone. He had compleatly vanished. Wow.

(Arena, the next day)

"You know, I notice the book had nothing on Night Furies," Hiccup was saying. The arena and it's multiple levels had been filled with a maze. A blue nadder had been released, and two Scuttleclaws. They looked like nadders, only longer and leaner, and twice as big, with bulbs on their spine instead of spikes. I ducked behind cover as the orabge scuttleclaw's tail passed in front of me. It's green companion skwaked a ways away. "Focus Hiccup!" Gobber yelled at his apprentice. "right, right, sorry!" He called back, and suddenly appeared beside me. He mouthed, "nadder, two walls over," and I nodded.

"Ok, class, today is about ATTACK! Nadders are quick, and light on their feet, and Scuttleclaws will skewer you before you can say their name. Your job it to be faster than they are. Or at least, faster than the closest viking."

I heard the a Nadder shoot at Fishlegs, then heard Cami yelp as a Scuttleclaw shot at her. "I'm beggining to question your teaching methods!" Thuggory shouted from one of the lower levels, attracting the green Scuttleclaw. "WHY DID I DO THAT!?" Thug yelled as it came into his line of vision.

Hiccup and I dashed through the maze until I saw the Nadder staliking over a wall. I motioned for Hiccup to go the other way and he complied. The arena filled with the sounds of trainee's struggling to avoid the scaly hunters. Somehow Dogsbreath and Clueless had gotten the orange scuttleclaw locked on them and it chased them down, toppling the arena like domino's. I tried to avoid it, but to my horror, the Nadder had found me! I desperately climbed over the walls to avoid it, jumping from wall to wall, until I fell off, straight into-

"HICCUP!" I screamed and his eyes widened as I fell. He banged his head into the ground and made a dazed groan. "Oohhhh, love on the battlefeild!" I heard Heather tease.

"Ha!" Dogsbreath yelled. "The skinny freaks, their the perfect couple!" I was horrified to realize we had ended up in a very… suggestive position, and my axe was lodged in Hiccup's sheild. Suddenly the nadder clawed its way out of the maze's remains and charged straight for us. I ripped hiccup's sheild off his arm with my axe still in it, and swong it at the Nadder's face! The sheild splintered against dragon hide, and the nadder staggered away.

I was breathing heavily as Hiccup struggled to his feet. He was flushed red as well. I scanned the class and found Heather and Dogsbreath. "YOU TWO!" i screamed. "Is this some kind of a joke?! When a fellow Viking is in danger, you help them, not embarrass them! Were about to start fighting for out LIVES! get your heads on straight!" I huffed in anger as they cowered slightly, and as gratifying as that was, my anger was still palpable.

Then I remembered Hiccup. The fool would probobly blame himself for that embarrassing incident. "C'mon Hic!" I snapped and he stiffened, whirling on a heel to follow me.

We reached outside the arena. He looked down in shame. "Astrid, well, I'm sorry, for, well, you know, not getting out of the-"

"Shut up." I interrupted him. he blinked. "But I-"

"I said shut up. You don't need to apologise. They were just being morons."

I swear he looked a little disappointed. "Also, about the Night Fury, I was just so curious-"

"I know Hic." I cut into his scentence again. "I guess I'm just a little rattled about the subject after- well, seeing you under its paw was really, really scary. I don't ever want to see or again. So just promise me, if you continue to g. See the Night Fury, you'll be careful alright?"

He gave me a crooked grin. "I'm Hiccup. It's an occupational hazard."

i don't know why I did what I did next, but I had no regrets about it. I darted forward and quickly kissed his cheek. "Go on, Bork the Bold." I said playfully. "Go study your dragons." Hiccup stood there in numb shock. "Wha-"

His face turned red and his expression advertized that his brain was currently out of order.

Before he could say anything, I was gone, stomping to my home to get MY head sorted about a few things.

HICCUP'S POV

Well, that was unexpected. A kiss on the cheek from Astrid. The highest form of affection she's ever shone is a punch on the arm. But who was I too complain?

My thoughts wandered to Nightcloud-the Night Fury. His tail was more useless than me now. I gotta fix that. Maybe a good way to start was treating the wound. After I raided Gothi's house for supplies-WHAT BUISNESS DOES A TINY, FRAIL OLD LADY HAVE LIVING IN A RICKETY HOUSE ABOVE THE CLOUDS!? HOW DID SHE EVEN GET UP THERE!? HOW DID _I _GET UP THERE?!- I made my today to the Cove, defended by a sturdy wood shield, and a juicy salmon in hand. Nightcloud had gone after some in the cove, so why not?

I threw the morsal into The cove. Nada. I hesitantly crept forward- only for my shield to get stuck. After multiple hard tugs on the tool, it did not come out, so I sighed and retrieved the fish. Nightcloud was nowhere to be seen. I readjusted the basket of medical supplies on my back and searched around.

Suddenly I felt something very large and very warm behind me, so I turned. There was Nightcloud, looking at me wairily. Figures he would be just as good at stealth on land as he was on air. Taking some initiative, I drew my knife. Nightcloud snarled and prepared to pounce, but I flung it far away before he could. Nightcloud followed the blade's travels through the air, then looked back at me, and his demeanor quickly changed. He went from cautious animal to inquisitive soul. Like a dragon conversion of me. His pupils became large and round, and he flicked a cuirous ear to the side. I gulped and held out my peace offering. Nightcloud crept forward, curious growls escaping his throat and he oppened his mouth.

"Toothless?" I said incredulously. Any thought of calling him Nightcloud vanished. The Night Fury would be dubbed Toothless, now and forever!

"Ok, when you pinned me, I _know _you had-"

_SHINK! SNAP!_

Teeth shot out of Toothless's gums and he snapped the salmon up, licking his lips in satisfaction. He regarded me with a another curious stare, and crept forward. I dropped my bag and stumbled backwards. "Um, nonono!" I said. "I-I don't have any more!" He backed me into a rock. Then made a strange hacking sound, and before I knew it, he had deposited the rear half of my peace offering into my lap.

Toothless reared back and sat on his own tail like a chair. we starred each other down for a full moment before he seemed to smirk and nodded from the fish to me. I looked at the fish, then him. "Oh no."

_Oh yes,_ his smug look said.

I hesitantly raised it up, and took a bite. I'll spare you the taste review. I tried to hold it in my cheeks so I could spit it out later. He gazed at me with a half lidded, "really?" Expression and swallowed.

WHAT. THE. HECK?! NO!

Toothless just kept looking at me. And reluctantly, I swollowed, twice, as apparently the bite wasnt quite done with being on my mouth. I gave him a struggled smile as the disgusting gift wriggled its way down, and his tilted his stead. His lips slowly twitched, raising up uncertainly.

I thought he might be having a seizure, until he was wearing a toothless, gummy grin of his very own. I looked to the raw wound on his tail and inched forward. His teeth made a reapearence, snarling. I took the hint and jumped back as he attempted to glide across the cove's lake. When I saw him try to take a nap. I took my chance.

Grabbing my bag, i inched forward to Toothless's tail. He must have heard me, because he quickly unveiled his face from under his wing and growled. I spun, for I knew very well he could take me out in no time flat.

It seemed like hours, I resorted to getting a stick and drawing Toothless in the dirt. The Night Fury's shadow fell over me, and I just kept drawing. Suddenly I heard a SNAP! And I turned to see Toothless dragging a sapling through the dirt around me. He danced around with it, before finaly finishing, he nodded his satisfaction at the drawing and looked at me like, _see what I did? I can draw too!_

I smiled at him and got up to walk away, but I stepped on his drawing line.

"Grrrrrrr." I looked at hi. He was in "Attack Fury," mode, slit pupiled and NOT toothless. I lifted my foot from the drawing.

"Cooooooo," he was back in "Sweet Fury," mode, all puppylike without a single fang in his mouth.

I put my foot back down.

"Grrrrrrrrr,"

Foot up.

"Coooooooo,"

Foot down.

"Grrrrrrrr,"

Foot up.

"Cooooooo."

I smirked at the bipolar dragon and weaved my way through his drawing, until I bumped into him. He stared at me curiously, and I held out a hand. "Please," I murmured. "I just want to make up for my mistake."

Toothless growled, but it wasn't fully committed to scaring me anymore. Slowly I turned my face away. "I trust you, Toothless. Please, _trust me."_

After an eternity, I felt warm scales press into my palm. I looked up to see a Toothless's smile greeting me.

I nodded to his tail and he brought it around for me to see. It looked like he could use the tail itself, just not the fins. To treated and bandaged the gash between the fins "Ok, Toothless," he snorted indignantly, "It didn't look infected, but there's nothing to be dome about the fins. They're still _there,_ you just can't use them anymore. But your gonna be all right."

The Night Fury was blatently depressed that his fins still wouldn't work. He scoffed and flicked an ear at the sky. I got in front of him.

"Toothless, I swear, on my life, _you will fly again!_" I looked him straight in the yes as I said that, and he stared right back, until slowly, Toothless firmly nodded.

**So, how was that? Did I do the scene justice? Please review, fav and follow! Also, if you enjoy mindless humor amongst thousands of Falmouth characters, and love the Idea of Hiccup&Toothless vs Iron Man, check out my favorite stories section and take a look at "That awkward Moment when," and you will nearly die laughIng. **


	5. Tailframe and Striking Bonds

**THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS! SPECIAL THANKS TO SANDMAN FOR HIS PLOTLINE BRILLIANCE! HE HAS CHANGED THE ENTIRE STORY OR THE BETTER! **

** Now, before you go on thinking that Sandman's recomendational review is now a complete spoiler, it's not. I'm only some of his ideas, so I assure you that the story is still gonaa gold some surprises!**

** Also, before we start, I want to say something about the differences between Not-Alone-Universe characters and DreamWorks Characters.**

** NAHiccup has slight physical prowess, to the point whee he can acceptably weild the axe Stoick gives him. He has a higher self esteem than DWHiccup because he has friends and he's not 'Useless" as his inventions are very effective in the village, just weak. He still doesn't hold himself in very high praise though. As seen in the nadder/scuttleclaw lesson, he can focus on the task at hand more easily than DWHiccup, and readily listens to Astrid's commands. Also, NAHiccup is a bit of a perfectionist and moderately OCD, which lead him to make some decisions regarding the saddle in this chapter.**

** NAAstrid is less rough and tough than DWAstrid because people try to protect her because of her tiny size. Basicaly she had the whole "Get back inside' shpele DWHiccup had. She is far more friendly to Hiccup, and almost as protective as Toothless. She's just as strong mntaly and phisicaly as her movie counterpart, but less closed off.**

** NATwins don't fight as often because they are scared of Nuttnut, and their fear of him actualy teaches them to work as a team in their various attempts to get rid of their feral relation. They still quarrel though.**

** NAFishlegs... eh, about the same really.**

** Anyway, Thank you all for reading, have an awesome timeframe-which-is-relevant-to-the-point-at-which-you-are-reading-this, and enjoy:  
>HICCUP IS GOOD AT BULDING, AND ASTRID WILL ALWAYS HAVE HIS BACK!<strong>

I leaned against one of the catapault's legs as Gobber talked. The class was having dinner around us, tearing into the poultry. Tuff and Ruff had the misfortune to be wedged between Dagur and Nuttnut, a situation that caused suffering for both twins.

Astrid leaned next to me on the pillar. She rolled her eyes at my mentor's story. "The Boneknapper fired his deavestatng dirty fire at me, and I only barely managed to get out of the way. It's giant skeletal hide protected the beast from big bertha, but it had nothing for it's eyes as I climbed atop it's snout-" I heard this part before. I nudged Astrid's side with my lag and got her attention. "Your never gonna belive what happened," I mouthed at her, and she tilted her head. "What?" She mouthed back. I gave her a grin, and her mouth twitched a little. I began to mouth- "I made friends with-"

"AND-" Gobber's loud voice made me jump, "With one twist, the bony devil took me hand, and SWOLLOWED it whole!" He ripped of a piece of chicken. "I could see the look in his cold yellow eyes," he nodded, like he was agreeing with himself. "I was delicious. He musta passed the word, because it wasn't a week before a hotburple came along and gobbled up me leg!"

Snotlout glared at his kebabed meal like it had offended him. "I swear I'm so angry right now. I'll avenge your beautiful hand, and your beautiful foot. I'll chop of the legs of every dragon I fight, with my face!" He pointed to said ugly mug for emphasis.

Gobber shook his head. "Nuh uh. It's the limb's they use for flying that you wanna go for, a dragon can get along perfectly fine without it's legs, but when it's grounded, the thing's good as dead. A downed dragon is a dead dragon!"

My stomach dropped down to my boots. Without the use of his tail fins, it didn't matter if I had stabbed Toothless that day or not, he would NEVER fly again. If only he could move those stupid-

An idea bloomed in my head as the other trainees bragged about who would get to kill the Stormcutter, Snotface formost at the head of them. I looked at Astird and said, "I need to do something. See you tomorrow 'Strid." I jumped down the catapult stairs and towards the forge.

(Cue forge music)

I took out my sketchboot and began to draw a design, and signed it with, "Toothless WILL fly again!"

Once the design was finished, I nodded. It could work. Best start with the frame first. Can't dump the whole thing on Toothless all out once. Getting started, I laid out the metals, pumping the bellows and forging them into shape, cooling them and reheating them. I put everything Gobber taught me into this.

When I finished, I compared it to a drawing of Toothless's tail. I held in my hands was a ramework mimick of the fins' fingers connedted to lether traps an a set of gears. I painted the whole thing black to finish it off, and closed it with satisfaction. Now all I needed to do was talk the Night Fury into this!

The next day I took my invention, and a basket of fish into the cove. "Ohhhhhhhhh Toothless..." I called. My bipolar Night Fury buddy growled with indignace, but switched back to "Sweet Fury," mode when he saw the fish. I dumped it on the ground for him. "Here ya go bud. Nice, big breakfast for yah. We got a whole day of rehab for ya! I, I got this thing here, your gonna have to let me sit on your back for it to work,but I's better than beind stuck as a big firebreathing salamabder eh?" Toothless looked at me with a "Go ahead," expression. I was touched by the fact he trusted me that much already.

But there was the fact he could chomp me if I tried anything dodgy to reassure him. Yeaaahh.

"So, for our dragon-y pleasure today, we have some salmon, some nice Icelandic cod, I even managed to swipe a few of Bucket's clams!"

Toothless snorted excitedly at "Clams," and I snuck behing him. "Could you keep your tail still Bud?"

More cooing, and he held his tail still. "Ok, buddy, I'll just be back here . . . putting this thing on . . . it might be a little cold but-aw who am I kidding you can't even feel these anymore!" I attached to frame to the fins and strapped it into place. "Eh, picked the right shade of black, doesn't weigh too much, even looks kinda cool if I do say so myself." He just snorted behind me, gulping down the last salmon with relish. "Ok, Toothless, when I say "Fly-" that was as far as I got. Toothless jumped into the air, flapping furiously, with me still clinging to his tail. "WOOOAAAAAAA!" I yelled as he started to fall again.

I grabbed the gears on the frame and twisted them with moth hands. The fins snapped open to the fullest extent, and Toothless shot upwards!

"YES! YES, I DID IT!" I yelled and twisted the gears again, putting them in a 'turn' position. Toothless steered back into the cove and landed beside the lake. Whooping with joy, I jumped off his tail.

"YEAH! Ok, needs some work, but we're on the right track, eh bud?"

The Night Fury gave me a toothless smile as I beamed at him.

ASTRID'S POV

As we walked into the arena, I wondered what Hiccup had been about to tell me last night. He got to class loking like he had just been crowned number 1 Viking, head held high, with pride in his step as he heafted the axe the Chief gave him.

I realized Hiccup had been depressed since he shot the Night Fury down, he had hardly smiled the passed few days. Ok, I am _so _finding out what happened after class. Gobber opened up sevral cages. Gass billowed out of them. "I just released the Hideous Zipplebacks!" Gobber cackled. "Ah wet dragon head can't light it's fire, but this guy is extra tricky. One head breathes the explode-y gas, while the other one light's it. Dousing the gas head is a waste of time, but if you douse the spark head, you've made it half as dangerous as it was before."

The gass clouded the arena, sperating everyone into pairs. I stood back to back with Hiccup, both of us heafting our buckets. "So," I whispered to him, "What's got you all happy Fishbone?"

"Nothin' much Milady." He muttered back happily. Wow, he hasn't called me Milady in years. It's like Gobber's True Viking song, he only uses it when he's really happy.

He hasn't called me Milady since the first time his dad yelled at him. Now I was morbidly curious. "Come on, you can tell me," I whispered, elbowing him in the side."

"I'll show you after class." This was all I got before water splattered on our heads. The twins staggered out of the gass, smirking at us. "Aw, it's only you two." Ruff groaned. "We were hoping for one of the dragons!" Tuffnut yelled before a Zippleback head shot out of the mist and grabbed him with it's teeth, pulling him out of sight. "I-I-I-I-I-M-M-M-M G-G-G-G-G-G-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-D-D-D-D-D-D N-N-N-N-N-N-O-O-O-O-O-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W!"

It sounded like he was being shaken violently, until I heard a spitting noise and Tuff flew back into side, covered in slobber with green gass curling off his head and shoulders, a dazed look on his face. "Ugh!" Around the areana, trainees tried and tailed o defeat the three zipplebacks. They all ended up cornering Hiccup!

The zipplebacks hissed as the encircled him, snapping at the poor boy. Then suddenly, something inexplicable happened. 'AWAY WITH YOU, FOUL DRAGONS!" He yelled, gesturing to their cage. The zippleback's sheriked and darted to the enclosure, and seemed to fight each other, even their own heads, to get inside it first.

My mouth hung open as Hiccup got up, dusted himself off, and closed the zippleback cage, smililing, very pleased with himself. "So, we done here?" He said, turning to the shocked class. "Cause I gotta meet some one, ugh, meet me at Bork's statue later Astrid!" He said, and ran out of the arena. Fishlegs dropped his bucket as the arena door slammed closed.

HICCUP'S POV

So Toothless isn't the only dragon who goes nuts for clams huh? Thoes zipplebacks were like dogs over it!

I ran to the forge where the second part of Toothless's recovery waited. A black leather saddle. (It's shaped like the one in HTTYD 2 if you are wondering.) After meting up with Astrid, she gave me a friendly glare. "Whatcha got there?" She asked, and I held it away from her. "You'll see milady!"

She grinned at me. "It's nice to see you like this Hic." She said. That confused me. "What do you mean, Milady?"

Something about that got her perked up even more. "That! That right there! Hiccup, your happier than I've seen you in hears. Your not slouched in submission, you don't make dry remarks, your holding yourself higher, Hiccup, your calling me Milady again! You only do that when your REALLY happy! Seriously, when was the last time you called me that, huh?"

I thought about it. Wow, she was right, I haddn;t done that in forever. "Well, I just feel a little lighter today!" I led her to the cove, and we slid down. "Ok, Hic, what's your 'big surprise,' and what's that thing you got with you!"

I grinned as Toothless snuck up behind her.

"Astrid, Toothless. Toothless, Astrid."

"Cooooooo."

"AAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

ASTRID'S POV

After Hiccup introduced me to Toothless, he got punched. Then the little twerp told me how he befriended the nightfury, giving him the initial name 'Nightcloud," before being unable to resist changing the name after discovering the retracable chompers the black dragon possessed.

Hiccup had befriended a dragon. That, was awesome. Don't get me wrong, the Flightmare is gonna die when it rears its ugly, glowing head, but after spending the day with what seemed to be less of a killing machine and more of a puppy/kitten hybrid, my views on dragons changed a little bit.

Which led to us being in the arena once again. I was axeless, sheildless, and Hiccup was watching me from the cage control leavers. Toothless sat beside him, the new saddle strapped o his back with connecting wired all attached, pedals hanging at his sides. Each peddle would control one tail fin, Hiccup had explained.

But seeing Hiccup next to the Night Fury, Thor's personal means of vengeance, the Ultimate Prize no one's Ever Seen, Hel's brother dragon, and so many other titles, I just couldn't resist.

"How do I train a dragon?" I blurted out as he threaded the connecting wires through the saddle. Both Hiccup and Toothless looked at me, shocked. "Say what now?" Hiccup said as Toothless made several growls and grunts that sounded like his rider's words. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he was Hiccup's twin turned into a dragon.

"I said, how do I get a dragon as my friend. You got Toothless-by the way, you should have stuck to Nightcloud-so I should get to have a big ol' scaly companion too, right?"

Hiccup just stared at me, ingredulous, whlile Toothless's wings droped to the ground in shock. "But we, but you, only just now-" Hiccup struggled for words. I put a hand on his shoulder. "Hiccup, I trust you. If you say dragons can be befriended, then I'll gladly try."

I think I broke Hiccup. He didn't say a word as Toothless carried us to the arena by foot, just sat with eyes the size of Big Betha's ammo.

When we finaly reached the arena, I shoved my axe into his hands. "Uhm wha-"

"Dragons don't like weapons, right." He nodded, and I jumped into the arena unarmed.

Taking a deep breath, I scanned the rows of cages, then I made my deision. "Let the blue Nadder out." Hiccup looked dubious. "You sure. It might hold a grudge against you for, um, that one time..."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You crippled Toothless, and he's acting like you could do no wrong!"

He threw his hands up in the air. "Astrid, he KNOWS if I make a trecherous move he can end me in seconds, you on the other hand phisicaly proved yourself a threat to the Nadder. She might not be as trusting to you!"

"Hiccup," I said, "You wanted to make amends with Toothless. _I_ want to make it up to the Nadder."

That made him think a bit, but he still looked unsure. "Seriously, 'Strid, the thing could poision-"

This kid sometimes. "HICCUP! NADDER! NOW!" I yelled, and even Toothless flinched.

Hiccup scrambled for the leaver and released the gate, and the Deadly Nadder burst out, tail spikes at the ready. It saw me and charged, flailing its wings wildly. "Should we help?" I heard Hiccup ask his dragon. "If you do I'll take of your leg and one of his wings!" I yelled at him. Boy and Night Fury sunk below the observer wall.

I leaped out of the way of the Nadder, a set look in my face._ HA!_ I thought. _This'll impress him! He may have tamed the Nigt Fury, but this dragon's actively trying to kill me!_ I sidestepped a claw.

Wait, why do I care about impressing Hiccup? I already have his respect, why do I-

_Because he did something no one else did,_ the realization came. _"And I need to be able to do it with him. It's who we are!_

Dodging a few more of the Nadder's blows, I stopped having fun, This was serious. If I did this, I was promising to stand by the Nadder until one of our hearts or both stopped beating. Hiccup and Toothless already made this bond. But one friend isn't always enough. I needed to be able to follow Hiccup wherever he went, fly through all the storms in the world, because he would do that for me.

"STOP!" I yelled, and the Nadder froze. "I cam here to say I'm sorry!" I stared the Nadder down.

"I'll readily admit, I've wanted to kill your kind most of my life! But this war needs to end! It took my uncle, it took my dad, and it took Hiccups mum! It's doing nothing but taking needless lives on both sides! I know I hurt you, and I know I've wanted your blood forever, but Hiccup and Toothless proved it doesn't have to be that way! If a scrawny little Viking and the most feared dragon alive can become brothers, then we can make the same bond!"

The Nadder looked at me, then crept forward curiously. "Please," I muttered, "Let's just, just stop! Vikings kill al the time... I'm just tired of it all!" I raised my hand while still looking at my boots.

Suddenly something warm pressed into my hand. I looked up, and saw the Nadder's nose pressed into my hand.

I could see what Hiccup ment when he said that that one moment changed everything. I could deny it all I wanted, but I felt like I would fly throught the world's worst thunderstorm to save her, like I would for Hiccup, or any of my gang.

"Lets go, Stormfly."


	6. Hiccstrid and Hiccup's Nightmare

**Not-Alone-Hiccup is back. **

**In response to one of the erlier comments, the characters that appear in this story who were part of or heirs of another tribe in the books/Franchise, in this Au they are all Berkian, except Thuggory which is why he's an outcast. **

** ALSO, Hiccup gets a little violent with the dragons in this chapeter. Let me remind you, Not-Alone-Hiccup is not the same as DreamWorks Hiccup, and Not-Alone-Hiccup has little sympathy for stoker class ragons, considering they seem to have it out for them. This does not extend to Terrible Terrors, though, because who can take them seriously?**

**I hopy you all had an Epic Holloween, that you get used to the new time from Daylight Savings Time, and that you continue to enjoy the Gang. A new chapter of Time Fury will be up tomorrow if your** **lucky**,** and maybe followed by a modern AU of Hiccstrid. Not gonna be school or collage, promise, and it's gonna break the mold of modern AU's! **

**Also, AGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! This chapter was SOOOOOOOOOOOO hard to write, the webpage kept expireing, and I had to redo all my work! Id didn't help that this was the longest chapter yet. **

** Thank You, supersandman86, for beind my nonofficial Betareader and idea guy, your epicness cannot be shown on any chart, bro.**

**FAVE! FOLLOW! REVEIW! **

**Let's start the next bit of the story in:**

** ASTRID IS REALLY BAD AT READING HER OWN EMOTIONS, NIGHTMARES HAVE IT OUT FOR HICCUP, AND THUGGORY'S DAD IS REALLY SCARY!**

ASTRID's POV

We took Stormfly back to the Cove to stay with Toothless. She's just one Nadder, they escape all the time. No one would notice. Er, I hope. I had to lead her back to the cove, because no matter what kind of deep unsaid bond thingy we'd just made, I wasn't ready for her to carry me into the sky just yet.

We sat and talked next to the lake a bit. It was nice. I realized we hadn't just sat together without the gang since dragon training started a week ago. "So, Milady, I think I can trust you not to go screaming back to the village with the news of Toothless?" He said, getting up and brushing his pant's off. I pushed myself up and smiled, "Not if you don't blab about Stormfly." I said in return. He glanced at the dragons, who were getting a drink from the lake a few feet away. "Eh, I think I can manage to keep my fish hole shut." He said.

As we began preparing to leave I asked him when he was gonna try to start actual flying. He rubbed the back of his head, thinking.

"Uhhhhh, I think in a few days. I only have the flying rig up," He began gesturing in that rangon way of his, hands flailing and finger spread eagled as he talked." I need to do safety and steering tests, not to mention help you and Stormfly bond even more-"

I punched him to stop his rambling. "OW!" He yelled, clutching his arm. "Why?"

"For scaring me with Toothless."

"But you-OW!" He got punched again. "OW!" All he did was give me his wounded puppy look. Stupid Hiccup, how could he, the one thing that stops my violence tendencies. He looked over to Toothless and glared at him in a way that said_ I'm getting punched here!_

Toothless looked up from his drink and growled at him with a gaze that said, _deal with it!_ Great, now I can read dragon expressions. But he returned the sad puppy eyes on me.

"And that was for going back when I told you not to." I said, struggling to remember my reason for the second blow. Then I grabbed his shoulders and squeezed him in a hug. "And that," I breathed when I pulled away,_ was for being so cute and awesome!_ My suppressed girliness said. "Was for being Hiccup." I said said out loud, internaly trying to beat the girliness back into submission. It wasn't working that much, though.

At home, I collapsed on my bed, popping my back. Then, delayed shock finally hit me. Oh gods, Hiccup had a dragon. _I_ had a dragon. I had followed Hiccup in his decision without the slightest hesitation. Oh gods, oh gods, oh, I just betrayed EVERYTHING the Vikings stand for, everything! All my life, I was told dragons should be killed, destroyed, brought down. But at one word from_ Hiccup, _ I was all for making peace with the scaly heathens. What the heck?!

When had I started trusting Hiccup this much? _Maybe the day he saved your life,_ my suppressed girliness said.

I was shocked. This time it had a genuine point and wasn't mooning over Hic.

About nine years ago, I got kidnapped by Outcasts. They took me onto their ship and loced my up with chains. My family's the second wealthiest on the island, after the Haddocks, but they couldn't have six year old Hic because he was always clinging to Chief Stoick's legs when he went outside. I, however, was always wandering the woods outside the villiage.

One day, I was taking my usual walk, my tiny toy axe on my shoulder, when I heard a noise behind me. "Heeelllllllloooooooo!" I called, readying my toy axe. I leveled it at where I heard the sound, grimacing. "Im warning you, Mommy said I was ah Viking, and a Viking doesn't show messy!" Hey, gimme a break, I was six. Everybody makes grammar mistakes when they are six, and my vocabulary really wasn't that awesome!

Without noticing someone wrenched my toy axe out of my hand and grabbed my little arms, hauling me into the air. "Well, look at this, the 'ittle Hofferson girl!" A man with a very strange looking mustache said. He was significantly smaller that the other Outcasts, but he looked a lot cleverer than them. The one holding me hostage chuckled. "Easy enough to take! To think, this is Alfred Hofferson's daughter! How can the Fighting Mountain possibly make such a little pebble like this!"

My cheeks burned with shame. It was true my dad was a man of impossible girth, as it had taken three timberjacks to finaly do him in after nearly taking on a whole raid single handedly. He was the second best worrior in the village, and when he died and Gobber lost his limbs, the title had fallen to Spitelout.

The outcasts continued laughing as I was dragged off to their boat. There was Alvin in there encampment, larger than Stoick and uglier than Mildew's rear. "The Hofferson girl? That's the closest you could get?!" He yelled at Mustache Man said. "Not good enough Savage!"

The Mustache Man, apparently called Savage, cowered under the gaze of the leader of the Outcasts. He stammered some excuses, that Hiccup and Snotlout, the "Jorgenson boy," and the "Haddock Runt," as he called them, were never on their own, that I my family was the third best to blackmail on the island after them, but still got a punch from Alvin.

It was... the worst night of my life. The outcasts would mock me for what I was and who my father was, smack me silly when I tried to talk back, and even nearly broke my arm when I tried to get my toy axe back. I was thrown into their ship's brig with a blindfold on so I wouldn't know how to get to the deck if I escaped. Inside the brig with me was a boy even bigger than Snotface, but smaller than Fishlegs or Dogsbreath. He looked about Ten years old. His clothes were in tatters and he was covered in bruises and sores. I looked at him with a mistrustful eye. "Who are you?"  
>He looked at me with the same emotion. "My name's Thuggory, heir... former heir to the Meathead Tribe."<p>

I tilted my head. "Former Heir?"

He sighed. "They tried to use me to blackmail my Dad into giving up the Cheifdom." His eyes turned really depressed and he looked at his bare feet. "Dad thought I was a weakling, though, because I let myself get kidnapped. He already called me a coward because I always run from the dragons, so it wasn't a huge shock when he disowned me."

I didn't really know how to respond to this. I knew I should comfort him, but I wasn't great at showing sympathy, and I really didn't know anything about this guy besides his name, and I really wasn't that interested.

I was saved from the awkward moment when the door was pushed open.

I tensed, preparing for an abusive Outcast. But what came through was a boy my age, with stick lims, aubern hair and impossibly green eyes. He studied us. "Who are you?" He asked Thuggory. "M-My name's Thug-"

"Sorry, sorry, but we ned to go, now! I have the twins distracting the Outcasts, and Fishlegs is keeping watch outside, but we need to go and warn Daddy before they get back here!" He said quickly, gesturing for us to follow. He grabbed my arm and I wrenched it away. "Wait a minuet!" I snapped. "Your Hiccup Haddock! Mommy told my to punch you if you ever came near me!" I said and bopped him in the nose.

"OWWWWW!" Hiccup clutched his face, groaning. "WHY would you DO that?!" He gave me huge green kicked puppy eyes.

"Mommy told me too!" I defended.

He groaned and pushed himself up. "Ok," he held up his hands in a surrender position, then wrung them together. "I'll make you a deal. How-how about, once we're out of here, you can punch me twic-THREE TIMES, REALLY HARD!" He said. "Now, PLEASE, we've got to go, we REALLY, REALLY need to go, RIGHT NOW, I don't know how long they'll keep intrest in the twins' distractions, I would have brought Nuttnut if I thought I could survive asking him but-"

"FINE!" I snapped, trying to shut the idiotic boy up. "SHUT UP!" He flinched and gestured for us to follow. "DO you know where your going Useless?" I said, and he flinched, hard. I felt a twinge of sympathy for the poor boy.

He nodded. "Yeah, I remember how to get outta here!" And led us to the deck. Once there, he nodded at Fishlegs. The five year old nodded back and gave a thumbs up from the beach. Once off the Outcast ship, we ran into the forest. "Thug," Hiccup said. "Could you go back to the Villiage and warn Daddy whats happening. He's reeeeaaaaallll big with a red beard! I gotta wait for the twins." Thuggory nodded and started running.

Hiccup looked at me, baffled. "Well, why aren't you going with him?"

I looked at him with a stoic gaze until I punched his arm.

"OW!" He yelled. "THAT'S FOR COMING NEAR ME!" I yelled. Punch two went into his brand new bruise. "That's for telling me to run away," I said a bit more calmly, and clenched my fist till my anger faded. "And you're spared from the third because you saved me."

He nodded, clutching his stick like arm.

A few weeks after the Outcasts had been driven out, I was simmering about the ordeal. People had started pulling me around, telling me to stay inside where nothing could hurt me. I was sitting poutily in my chair, missing my toy axe, when someone knocked weakly at the door. I pulled it open to find Hiccup there, face red from exertion, and holding an axe about as big as the both of us. He puffed and said, "Ast-rid. I ma-de, you the, axe, to," hegulped a huge breath of air down. "I made you an axe so you would be able to defend yourself better." He said quickly before his air ran out.

I dddn't know what to say, for the past two weeks people had been treating me like a weakling, something fragile, something that needed to be protected, like a... like a... like a GIRL! But here Hiccup was, arming me. Telling me I could defend myself and giving me a tool to do it. It was rather sweet, and those big puppy eyes he'd given me after I'd punched him were ... _cute. _"Do you wanna come in," I asked and he blinked. "But-"

"Actualy," I interrupted. "I insist." I pulled him by the arm and grabbed my new axe, grinning smugly when he growled at I the fact that I could lift it more easily than him. "You can tell me your side of the story..."

* * *

><p>Ever since then we'd been friends. he had never put me in harms way. I think that's why I trusted him about dragons. He was a moron sometimes, but he'd never take me to the cove if he thought Toothless would hurt me, and if I had blindly refused to belive him, I would have spat on everything we have done together.<p>

I trusted Hiccup, he was kind, intelligent, loyal, trusting, curious, and would never do something to put e in danger unless I forced him to. Hiccup was... fine I'll admit it, cute. My girly side was comeing out, and I didn't even try to stop it.

After bearing my soul to Stormfly, I think I could admit one thing to myself:

I loved Hiccup Haddock.

_TOOTHLESS'S_ POV

Hiccup paced in front of me. We were outside the Pretty-Home-Prison-Thing that I was usualy left in, and he had the Useless-Tail-Fin-Manipulator-Thing that he always put on me attached to a stump on the ground. He had put us in a 'controlled flight' to record the different angles he could put my fins at and how they altered my flight, creating a 'cheat sheet' for flying. That confused me a bit, as flying was not a test. How could you cheat at flying.

Silly Hiccup. But after we were finished, he dismounted and untied me. "Can't wait to show that to Astrid." Then he had looked worried and clutched at his head fur. "Ohhhhh, Astrid, she KNOWS, bud!"

I was quite aware. She screamed pretty loudly when we met, and that was a pretty impressive speech she gave the Nadder. "She knows I made you my friend. Sure, she amended with the Nadder, but what if it was all an act!" The smell of worry and affection clung to him in droves. "I mean, she once convinced me that she and Wartihog, and Wartihog himself, for a whole day before laughing in our faces! She's a good actress! She could have faked the whole speech to Stormfly last night!"

I snorted, doubting that. If there had been any thicker smell of affection coming off the human I would have choked on it. He took my snorting the wrong way. "Useless reptile," he muttered.

I really wished he would stop talking about the female. It was getting annoying. He'd yacked his jaw off about her the whole morning. and only stopped once we got on the 'controlled flight.' I shook my head and whapped him with a paw. "Ok, ok, I get it, stop talking about Astrid, you happy?"

I nodded. Very much so.

As we made our way back to the Pretty-Prison-Home-Thing, I saw the Nadder come drinking at the lake.

Let's get something straight.

Nadders are loud.

Nadders are vain.

Nadders are overdramatic.

Nadders are immature.

I.

Hate.

NADDERS!

"Hello human and," she snickered, "Clawless." I sighed. "It's Toothless." I muttered and she laughed. "Like that's any better." That ticked me off. In the past month, I learned to love my name, and here this Nadder was degrading it.

I had to hold myself back from attacking.

"Hiiiiiiiccccccccuuuuuuuupppppppp!" I heard someone call and I went into attack mode, but relaxed when it was only the girl. Wait, oh no, THE GIRL! Now I'm gonna have to endure another session where I mentaly scream at them to mate already so we don't have to hear you beat around the bush!

She came into view and walked up to Hiccup. The smell of affection was so strong I sneezed as he stuffed the cheat sheet into a pocket in the straps of the Useless-Tail-Manipulator-Thing, and he turned to her. "Yes Astrid." She gulped, obviously pushing down a thought.

"Where have you been," she said. He shrugged, noncommitingly caying, "eh, charting how the tail ins control the flight, I think the test flight's gonna be tomorrow.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

I gave my grin and laid my head down as the Nadder came and nuzzled the girl, skwaking happily. "Hi Astrid," she said, panting like a dog. "Hi, hi, hi!"

I rolled my eues and covered my head with a wing. "Aw, get up you big lug," Hiccup said, and I grunted at him to go away and sort things out with his mate.

"He's always like this," He said exasperated to the girl and I felt his hands on my neck. Suddenly they were scratching viggorusly. I shot to my feet and leaned into him. More, more, puny human, this feels awesome!"

I heard the girl laughing at me, but I didn't care. I'll barbeque you her later, but the scratching was so good, I could see why dogs liked it so much.

Suddenly he reached under my jaw and scratched a place that made my brain explode. I colaped to the ground in bliss. Of all the humans to have for a brother, I got this guy. My life is epic.

The girl sniggered, then said, "Hey, that could actualy be pretty useful in the ring."

Hiccup made a noise of agreement and they walked off. "So, Flameless," a voice behind me said, "Whose acting like a pretty pet now?"

I groaned, the Nadder had seen the whole thing.

Crap.

HICCUP'S POV

Back in the ring, the maze from the nadder/scuttleclaw lesson had been set back up.

"Now, today we see if you can overcome the power of some stoker classes we have in here," Gobber called down as we enetered the arena. Four Nightmaes had been released into the ring. Great, five of the breed of dragons that seem to HATE me.

Daggur and Cami rushed in without hesitation, roaring, while Nuttnut cackled evily and darted inside. The rest of us went in, but far less enthusiastically.

I ran through some of the maze's turns, but felt something come up behind me. It was Sven, the guy fro Cami's team. "Come on, Weakling." He said, and pulled me into one of the corridors as a purple nightmare crawled past.

I turned and thanked him. "Don't mention it." He said simply and ran into a left corner, leaving me alone. I heard a hiss above me and saw a yellow Terrible Terror about to fire at me. I raised my shield as the line of fire came at me and nearly took away my face. It might not be much, but it's the only face I got!

I ran down a corridor and screamed as a Grapple Grounded slithered in and tried to bite me, and smacked it with my shield. It recoiled and slithered up a wall. Suddenly a brilliant red Nightmare came into view and shot at me. I ducked under the napalm fire and noticed something. It had bruised, hand bruised on the sides of it's snout, a bruise from a boot on its chin. "YOU!" I screamed and the Nightmare leered.

IT WAS THE SAME NIGHTMARE THAT CHASED ME AFTER I SHOT TOOTHLESS DOWN!

Unbelivable. I ran at it, and ducked under its head, smacking it in the chin bruise with the butt of my axe, and ran as it chased me, playing with me AGAIN! I HATE NIGHTMARES!

As I made to turn a corner, Astrid slammed into my side and knocked me over, a white and grey nightmare crawling past us and bumping into Bruiseface, as I'd dubbed him. the two lost intrest in us and climbed over another wall.

"Um, Astrid," I said, as she hadn't gotten up."

"Hmn? OH yes!" She juped to her feet and went a little red. "Sorry, didn't get to much sleep last night."

Not that surprising, considering what went down last night with Toothless and Stormfly. She must have had lots of energy left in her after taming a nadder.

We ran through the maze turns, avoiding or smacking around the terrors and the grapple grounder. It was tiring. After about half an hour my arms were trembling, and I was struggling to hold my axe and shield. Astrid pulled me to the side as the grapple grounder ran at me and I slammed the butt of my axe into its side, and when it turned to me, I hit it in the face with my shield. It stumbled backward and Astrid stepped on it's tail, so that it turned to hiss at her. I plunged the side of my shield into it's neck and the dragon couched, writhing it's serpentine body until the top of my axe slammed between it's eyes. The dull blow made it's eyes roll into its head and collapse.

I was breathing heavily, and raised my arms in a weak victory cheer, until suddenly Buriseface jumped from one of the walls and pinned me to the ground, pressing his weight on me. I yelled in pain, and Astrid screamed, "HIC!" And ran forward. I tried to yell at her to stop, but the air wouldn't leave my chest. The rest of our gang came from behind her, while the rest of the class, including Gobber, appeared from in front.

I thought she was gonna axe him in the neck, but she dropped her weapon, brought her arm up, and vigorously scratched the red Nightmare's chin, like I did with Toothless. He dropped, and so did the gang's jaws. To the class, it looked like Astrid had punched the Nightmare out with a single blow, but the gang had seen her scratch the dragon into _peaceful _submission.

This was gonna take some explaining.

And that's just what we did, taking the entire gang to the cove, giving them to the talk about how dragons weren't so bad.

Fishlegs was the easiest to win over, then the twins. Thuggory took a bit of convincing, but was sold once Toothless gave them the puppy dog eyes. I was ready to go to dinner, until Tuffnut asked a question that changed the gang's view of dragon's forever.

"Why didn't you kill Toothless dude?"

I froze, halfway out of my seat. "Wha-what do you mean? I said before, I just, I just couldn't do it."

He scoffed. "You had the _Night Fury_ on a silver plate, and the weapon to end it! Your dad would never think your a weakling again, none of the villiage ould. You'd go down in history!"

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "I never thought of that." She said. "Why couldn't you do it Hic?"

Ruff joined in, and so did Thuggory. "We wouldda done it!"

"Why couldn't you kill him?"

"Why did you spare the dragon?"

"Why couldn't you kill Toothless?"

I'll admit, I'm not that epic under pressure, but with all of them crowding me with the question, I snapped. "Guys, It wan't a matter of couldn't. I was perfectly able to. he was there, all tied up in bolas, and I was there, free as a bird, a knife in my hands, ready to carve his heart out. All that happened was that I discovered that in _300 _years, in all the _countless _Vikings who had lived on Berk, I was even more different than I thought. I was the first Viking, other than my mother, who died to a Stormcutter before I even knew her, I was the first one who _wouldn't kill a dragon._"

"I wouldn't kill him because I saw so much in his eyes. I saw you, Fishlegs, your disappointment in yourself that you get when Cami and Dagur gang up on you for being smart. I saw the fear you guys, Ruff, Tuff, that you get when your around Nutnut. I saw your sense of isolation that you get when you think about your tribe, Thug, and your hoplessness, Astrid, the same kind you get when they tell you to go inside like a good little future housewife, like nothing will ever get better. But I al;so saw what I feel when Snot and his gang beat me up, what I felt when they tied me to a cliff and it was hours before you found me, what I felt when Dad yelled at me about it for being to weak to stop them, what I feel when he practicaly screams what a disappointment I am. I looked at him, and saw an outsider, like us, ike all of us, someone who never really belonged. I wouldn't kill him because I would never be able to live with myself if I did. I wouldn't kill him, because I saw myself!"

(FORBIDDEN FREINDSHIP MONTAUGE MUSIC)

(NO ONE'S POV0

The gronkles were released from their cage, and the class scattered. The brown gronkle tackled fishlegs and they fell into the arena's lower levals. Hebegan to scratch it's head vigourously, and it went limp with a dragony smile. Hiccup looked at them, and Fishlegs gave him a conspiritoiral nod. Dagur caught this and looked between the two.

* * *

><p>Fishlegs led the gronkle into the cove as Hiccup and Tuffnut fed Toothless. "Wonder if he likes eel?" Tuffnut wondered. As soon as the words left his mouth, Toothless bolted. Tuff looked at the eel with an evil smile on his face.<p>

* * *

><p>The typhoomerang rushed Tuf, but he held his jacket open in a 'come at me bro' stance, but the dragon saw that Tuff's jacket had seven eels sewn inside. The typhoomerang mearly grinned and ate his jacket, belching as it went down. Across the arena, Ruffnut did the same to the scauldron. It looked from Ruff to Tuff and the typhomerang, and grimaced in a <em>challenge accepted<em> expression, and gobbled her jacket up, only to barf it out a minuet later. Dagur glared at them suspisiously.

* * *

><p>Hiccup and Astrid's gang sat down for dinner, and were immeaditly crowded by Vikings, completely ignoring the other two gangs, earning many pouts and a suspscious Dagur.<p>

* * *

><p>Ruff and Tuff dumped a pile of clams onto the cove's floor for the two dragons.<p>

On the lip of the cove, Thuggory saw Hiccup and Toothless come in from an unsuccsessfull flight and land in some tall grass. He ran to help them, but nearly died laughing when he saw Toothless rolling like a cat in the grass.

* * *

><p>The timberjack flew at Thuggory, but he stood and watched it approach without fear. Behind his back, he gripped a handful of grass and when it cme withing range, he pressed it into the dragon's nose, It nearly passed out with bliss.<p>

* * *

><p>As the Timberjack warmed up to Stormfly, Hiccup inspected Toothless's riding gear. One of the gears was bent and needed to be removed and replaced.<p>

That night, one of the guards saw Hiccup leaning against a wall and nodded at him politely. Once the guard was out of sight, he led Toothless to the forge. Using a crowbar, he got the gear out, but the malfunctioning piece _dinged_ against a sword. He flinched at the sound, but kept working.

Outside, Dagur was passing and heard the ding, and peeked through the window, biting back a scream as he saw Hiccup and Toothless. He ran away without being noticed by the duo, but with a very triumphant look on his face.

* * *

><p>HICCUP'S POV<p>

I took Toothless out for His first test flight, Astrid and Stormfly trailing behind me. By now she and the bright blue Nadder had bonded to the point where they were willing to fly with each other. "Ok, there bud, we're gonna take this nice and slow," I said, patting Toothless's side as we glided over the sea. I put the fins in a down position and we decreased altitude a little.

As we approached an arch, Astrid yelled, "Be careful Hic!" I looked over my shoulder and nodded, before leaning close to Toothless's head. "Ok, bud, here we go, here we go."

Gullls cawed over us as we made a perfect maneuver through the arch. "YES! Yes it worked!" I yelled and I could hear Astrid chuckle behind me. I studied the cheat sheet, so I wasn't paying attention when the seastack slammed into our faces. Orrather, when or faces smacked ino the seastack. "OW, Ok, my fault," I said, and Toothless made a sound of agreement. We slammed into another one and he slapped me with an ear.

It was more than a little irritating. Toothless just grunted without sympathy and jerked his head upeards"Yeah, yeah I'm on it!' I yelled and opend the fins into the up positions. We climbed and climbed, higher and higher into the sky.

"Guy's," Astrid called. "This is your first flight, should you really go so high?"

I was pumped with so much adrenaline, I laughed at the thought of staying any lower. "Come on Astrid, this is AMAZING, the wind in my-"

To my horror the cheat sheet slipped from its clip. "CHEAT SHEET!" I shrieked, "STOP!" I tried to grab at it and succeeded, but Toothless took my command to soon, and froze in the air. I continued going up, however, and as Toothless saw I was now above him, his 'oh fine what is it now' expression quickly morphed into an 'OH CRAP' expression.

We fell through the air, tumbling downwards at high speed. "HICCUP!" Astrid screamed, her voice full of horror.

"OH GOSH," I yelled, "OHHHH GODS!"

I tried to grab onto Toothless's wing and failed, only making myself lower than him. I saw Astrid and Stormfly diving at us. "You-You've gotta kinda, angle yourself-" I tried to tell toothless, but he acidentaly slapped me with his tail in his mad panick. Evntualy I clawed my way through the air and back into the saddle and managed to pull Toothless into a terminal glide, skimming the trees. We were headed through a treacherous labrynth of seastacks. I yelled Astrid's name through the cheat sheet in my teeth and twisted. She and Stormfly would never make it in time.

I looked at the cheat sheet, but the Loki-damned this would not stay still in the wind.

It was useless to me now. I threw it away, and pushed Toothless forward, letting him know to go for it.

We both had expressions of determination on our faces we dove into the seastacks. Out of pure instinct, like I was born to do this, I positioned the tail fins to fly perfectly between the rocks left, right, berall roll, close as Toothless kicked off one of the stacks, open again as we glided, free, out of the seastacks.

My heart was beating so fast I thought it was about to explode. Did I really just do that?!

"YYYYEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I yelled, raising my arm above my head.

Toothless gave his own victory cheer in the form of, "RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

It was so surreal, the dragon under me, the sea in front of me, the cold air slapping me face, Astrid giving me the _prepare-to-die_ face. Wait, what?

I looked at her on Stormfly. Sure enough, she was giving me that look. "LAND! NOW!" She yelled, and Toothless flinched under me.

As soon as we got to an island, Astrid was in a rage. She jumped of Stormfly and threw me off Toothless against my will. "You STUIPID, SON OFA HALF TROLL, RAT-EATING, MUNGE BUCKET!" The yelled at me, "DO YOU HAVE _ANY IDEA_ what you just put me through!"

I stared at her. What was she talking about. "Wha-what _you_ went through? I'm the one who nearly fell to his death!" I said indignantly. She gave me eyes that would have bored holes into Hel herself. "You have NO IDEA what it was like watching you fall, watching you scream for help, watching you go into those sea stacks!" She yelled at me.

I sighed. She was being irrational, I mean sure, it must have been scary, but still, I'm here, all four limbs intact. 'Astrid, what are you talking about, I've gotten hurt before!"

She clenched her fists, and I was surprised to see tears welling in her eyes. "I'm surprised you havn't figured it out yet, with how confused I'm getting, how I didn't want to get up when I knocked you down in the arena the other day-"

"Wait," I interrupted, gesturing for her to calm down. "You didn't want to get up? You told me were low on sleep that day."

She nodded. "I was, but I wasn't _that_ drowsy. It was just, you were, just-" she couldn't get words out, and she kept shaking her head. This was bad. When Astrid got frustrated, and couldn't speak, her worst usualy translated into her fists.

"You don't have to say anything, 'Strid." I said, but she gripped her axe. "Calm down Milady!" I yelled. That name always seemed to cheer her up.

She looked at me, and wiped her eyes, the tears gone. She looked at me with eyes that reminded me of the time I'd tried to hold his fish hostage when he was being too stubborn. "NO! After what just happened, I NEED you to know this, before you go an get yourself KILLED!" She grabbed my shirt, and I fliched preparing for pain.

All I felt was something soft on my lips. I opened my eye, and it was as if someone unplugged my brain.

Because Astrid was kissing me, right. On. The. Lips.


	7. Exodus

**HELLO ALL! I was going to work of a new chapter for Time Fury, but you all gave the Gang so much love with your follows and vaving, of both myself and the story, that I just had to give you this next chapter today.**

**Now I'd like to respond to the reviews:**

**Diamyo Maximiliano Migerokawa: O_O? What are you trying to say to me with this face, I don't get it. Are-are you blown away, are you revolted, what? Seriously, what is this?  
>GUEST: I wont be able to give him all of that, but trust me, he will be epic, and a badass on all levels, just in the next chapter.<strong>

** I guess I did something you guys liked last chapter, because it got the biggest response outta you guys yet! **

** So, in explanation to the twins, um, them having a zippleback would be a weakness for what I am planning with them, sooooooo, I gave them Torch and Scauldy, but sneaked in references to Barf and Belch while they were being tamed, so, yeah!**

** THIS CHAPTER SHALL HAVE LOVE, DETERMINED TOOTHLESS, HEARTACHE, VIOLENT DRAGONS, THE RETURN OF STOICK, AND HICCUP BEING, WELL, HICCUP. No flames at the romance. Again, I'm new at this. There will be a rewrite once the story is complete, so it will be better, eventualy.**

**Also, I have a new story in the works, Guardian Night Fury, check out my profile if you want to investigate, and PM me with how soon you guys want me to get to work on it, so, have a great time reading the story, hope it leaves you all wanting more, check out Time Fury and watch out for Guardian Time Fury.**

** Lets restart the adventure in:  
>HICCUP GETS THE WORLD'S MOST EPIC GIRLFRIEND, STOICK IS AN IDIOT, AND TOOTHLESS DESERVES TO BE THE ALPHA SINCE HE IS THE AWESOMEST OF ALL DRAGONS, EVEN CRIPPLED.<strong>

HICCUP'S POV

She was kissing me for a full minuet after that, obviously letting out some fustrations. I kissed her back a little, yeah, but me head was completely out of the loop. When she was done, my head was spinning, though I didn't know if it was from lack of oxegen or from shock. I stood, frozen in the position I'd been when she'd started toing that. Only my lips had moved, and now they hung open, like a fish.

Astrid was entirely red faced and gulping down air. "Well?"

I blinked, finally coming out of my trance. My head just jerked toward her, the gears in my brain still jammed. "Wha-"

She just glared at me, "Well, what do you think? Is our friendship destroyed? Did I ruin everything between us? Because I'm not gonna just run off and leave the question unanswered, I'm too Viking for that! I want a definite, clear answer right now so there are no misunderstandings. How do you feel about me Hiccup?!"

She grabbed my arm and pushed me onto a rock, then sat down opposite to me. She had a look of pure, unadulterated stubbornness. Every fiber in me was telling me to bolt so I could figure this out later, but the traitorous reptiles had bolted out of sight. I looked at Astrid again and this time, I saw a little fear in her eyes.

I realized what she'd said a moment ago, about how she might have ruined our friendship. I had to tread carefully , because Odin know I love her. Now I can just stop kicking myself for thinking of my best friend that way.

When I didn't answer, she grunted in expectation, poking my leg with her foot. "Well?"

I gulped, willing the gear in my head to turn again, while holding up a 'wait' finger to Astrid. "Ok, ok, so, um, you-you just kissed me, and-and I-I-I-just, just, wow. Really wow." My voice was filled with amazement, and she looked a little hopeful.

"Soooooooooooo..." She asked hesitantly, nudging my arm with her hand.

"If you," I gulped, we were already on a road there was no going back from, but now _I _was about to commit to it to. "If you really want the truth, I've been kicking my own arse over this subject since we were eight and I first started seeing you like that."

I took a deep breath and plowed ahead, this time not bothering to make a plan. Pun from my erlier escapade intended, I was going to wing it.

"I've loved you every day since, because your the strongest girl on Berk, not just with your axe, but when the others tell you to get back inside, you may loose hope a little, but you _never. Stop. Trying._ And I love you for that, I love that you won't ever stop fighting until your dead or dying. I love that you can keep your head held high even though sometimes you think that it will never get better. I love that you hang out with me, Fish, Thug and the twins, even though none of us will help your social status. I love that fact that even though they call you 'Astrid the Useless," and "Astrid the Housewife,' You became the strongest worrior I know in both your body and your heart. I love you, Astrid." I finished and wrung my hands, finally getting the courage to look at her after a few seconds.

She had tears in her eyes again. Oh crap, what did I do?! What did I do?

She punched me in the arm, though it was kinda weak. I said, "Ow," though, purely so I wouldn't get punched again. "Why?"

"For not telling me that sooner so I didn't have to beat the thought away from me for the past year!" She yelled at me and pulled me into another kiss. This time she wasn't as desperate, now she just wanted to confirm something.

I kissed her right back, hugging her close.

When she broke off, I just pulled her closer into a hug. "Sooooooooo, are we..."

"Idiot." She muttered into my shoulder. "What do you think?"

I tilted my head onto hers. "Yes?"

"Mmmhmmm."

And we sat there for a while, just holding each other.

ASTRID'S POV

Gods I love Hiccup. That speech was the sweetest thing I've ever heard! Then again, I'm a Viking. We aren't exactly the most open and affectionate people in the world, but still, the standard stands.

It was surreal, flying back to Berk, landing Toothless and Stormfly in the cove, walking back to the village. Because each time I was close enough, I grasped Hiccup's hand and squeezed it, and he would grin at me with his crooked teeth.

Unfortunately, once we started kissing, the rest of the gang had the nerve to walk in on us.

Well to be fair, we were in the middle of the street, but still, how dare they bear witness to the kissing of Hiccup?

"WOA!" Fishlegs screamed and we jumped apart. My face felt like I had dunked it in a bucket of Nightmare fire, and Hiccup was as red as a Gronkle's lava. "We-we were just-" He tried to stutter.

"Making out?" Thuggory finished for him, smirking. The big black haired idiot thought it was funny! He would FEEL MY WRATH!

I stepped forward and prepared to punch him, but Hiccup pulled my back with a hand on my shoulder. "I wouldn't do that, Thug, you wanna live to to feed Stokehead again, right?" Hiccup said, and I could feel his grin.

Thuggory nodded, gulping as he saw murder in my eyes. The twins were laughing their heads of at this point, and I looked at Hiccup. "Eh, go ahead."

I smiled. "Ruff, Tuff," The looked at me and their mirth dropped.

"Aw crap." Tuffnut said.

I left Fishlegs to dragged the brutally bruised and battered twins home, I practicaly floated to my house, twirling my axe merrily. I could hear people sniggering, and making snide remarks. "Look, the Hofferson seems pretty 'satisfied.' Who do you think it was?"

"Ah we know who it was, who else would she allow to do that?"

"He's one lucky man. can you se anything on her neck?"

I bore all their snide coments, because I simply didn't care about them anymore. At that moment, all was right with the world. The dragons were safe, the twins were in their place, Hiccup and I loved each other, my reputation in the village was becoming really awesome, and I had all four limbs. Things were gonna be all right.

Humming a little song I heard somewhere, I kicked the door to my house open. To my surprise, there was Mum, sitting nervously on the hearth. Uh-oh. Whenever Mum has that look, she has something to tell me she thinks I won't like.

"Astrid," she began, her voice full of trepidation. Oh, not good, not good, not good! She only uses that tone when she KNOWS I'll freak out. She laid an arm gently on my shoulder, and guided me to a seat.

"Now, dear, before I say this, I just want you to know that, well, I really had no choice in the matter. He offered sooooooooooo much, and you are the right age, and your warrior stock, so is he-"

I was filling with dread as I connected the dots, and I begged every god that I was wrong, that she was drunk, that the nightmare I was about to hear was all a lie!

It couldn't happen. Surely Mum know how much I would hate it, she wouldn't sell me off!

"Mum," I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "What did you do?" Mum saw me shaking a little, and seemed to have a little pity in her eyes, but they turned cold as ice in half a second, as if a decision was made. I could almost se the switch flip inside her head.

"You know what, girl, I've been far to lienient with you, and this time, I'm gonna tell you this, and you are going to ACCEPT it!" I flinched at her hard tone.

Let's have something known, dispite being a tremendous warrior, and someone you would NEVER want not to be on your side, my father was a calm, cool, collected, and fair man. Alfred Hofferson always took others' wants into account. My personality comes from my mother.

She's bigger than me by half, and it seems I can't take the intimidation I give out, because I tremble a little. "I have no shame in this, because it secures MY future, and yours. We won't have to worry about earning our keep ever again!" She leaned close to me.

"In three weeks, girl, weather you like it or not, you'll be married to Snotlout Jourgenson!"

It was like a hammer had been swong into my gut, caving it in and filling with horror and revusion.

"WHAT THE HEL MUM?!" I screamed "I-I just, you expect me to- to marry, and- an do _things_ with that PIG?!"

She slapped me, and I fell over backwards in the chair. "That's enough young lady!" She yelled, and my head reeled, my right ear ringing from the blow. "That is no way to talk about your future husband!"

I had never felt so powerless, so weak. I couldn't believe my own_ mother _was doing this! It needed to stop! I was not going to let this happen. Rage, ppure and hot, coursed into my veins at the unfairness of it all. How could this happen?

I growled and pushed myself up. "Mum, stop it, right now!" I yelled. "I _dispise_ Snotlout! Every day for the past nine years he's berated me for being weak, thinking he's the best Viking and telling my friends what faliures they are!" I tried to get my point across. "He's made my life a NIGHTMARE to live when he's around, and he hurts the people I care about, mum, he once dangled Hiccup off a cliff, and left him there, and another time, I found him covered in blood, his ribs and left leg snapped like a twigs! Snotlout is a beast, and I hate him!"

Mum had no sympathy in her eyes. The years of surviving without Dad and raising me had finally broken her emotionally, and she was closing herself off, only caring about how she would get her next meal. "Astrid, enough of this childish nonsense. now go to bed, and rest up for dragon training tomorrow. Enjoy fighting while you can. Your axe is in the dowry."

That was the last straw. I broke, and grabbed my axe, fighting the tears battling their way to my eyes. I ran out the door, not caring that Mum was yelling at me. I just had to be away from there, I had to be anywhere else!

I ran into the forest and heard angered grumbling. It sounded as if someone was real angry. I investigated creeping low over the forest floor. It was Hiccup, banging his head against a tree and muttering miserably.

I took a step forwar and accidentaly broke a twig. He turned, but relaxed when it was only me. "Hey 'Strid." He said, walking up to me. I feel dirty, after what just happened, letting him come near me, but it's Hiccup, I can trust Hiccup, he'd never abandon me... right? Well, we were already breaking one tradition, maybe he could figure out how to break another one.

He saw the tear lines on my face and hugged me. "Bad night for you too?" He said as he pulled me close. "Mum's marrying me off to Snot." I said quietly. Rip it off like a bandage, that's my policy.

My boyfriend stiffened. "Wh-what?" He said.

"I got home, and Mum said that I was marrying that munge-bucket, and that there wasn't anything I could do about it." My tone was laced with poision, and my heart sped up. Would he want to have anything to do with me now?

He just pressed closer into me. "Oh," he said simply. "Well, we're already hiding dragons. I'm sure we can find a way to get you out of this too." I snorted into his shoulder. "That's what I thought on the way here."

"I guess great minds think alike then," He said, and kissed my forehead. "Astrid," he said seriously, pulling away and holding me by the shoulders. "I promise you, I _will _get you out of this!"

For some reason, I felt resentment course through me. "Your just saying that bcause you want to keep me for yourself." I couldn't explain the wave of bitterness welling in my cest. I was just so tired of Berk and the stupid Viking way.

He looked as if I had slapped him. "No," He said, "No,no,no Astrid, no, I would say that even if we were still just best friends, I would say that if you were in love with someone else, I'm saying it because I know how much you'll hate it, and I hate to see you suffer."

"Then promise!" I snapped, and he flinched. "Promise me, Hiccup Haddock, that you really would stop at nothing to stop this from happening."

He looked straight into my eyes. "I prmise. I would sail every sea, fight every god, and even leave berk and everyone here, forever, if we have to, to stop you from being damned to a life tied to Snotlout."

HICCUP'S POV

After that, Astrid calmed down a lot. We ended up just looking at the night sky, trying to figure out something. "Dad came into the forge erlier." I daid to her, and she looked at me. We we're laying against a tree, shoulder to shoulder. "He kinda spoke his mind about our gang. We've kinda become a big deal around here, but it's all a trick, everything because of what we learn from our dragons. But still, it looks like we've become the best Vikings on Berk, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, he thought so too. He had this whole shtick that we were 'the worst group of Vikings Berk or any of the arcepeligo has ever seen in recorded history.' ad tha he 'almost gave up on us.'"

"Oh," she said. "That's-"

"It's fine, 'Strid." I mumbled "I don't need an sympathy, and I know you don't ethir. We just need to take care of this."

She nodded numbly, and we both fell asleep.

The next day was a blur as we went into dragon training.

I found myself leaning against one of the covers, breathing heavily and clutching my axe. I wore the helmet Dad gave me last night and pushed it above my eyes as I saw him looking at me through the arena cage bars.

Someone jumped over my cover, and landed beside me. I looked and saw Astrid. "Any ideas yet?" She asked, and I shook my head. "No, you?" I got the same response and I gripped my axe. "'Srid, we may actually have to leave you know." She nodded. "I'm prepared to do that, for the dragons I mean. If they don't accept Toothless, Stormfly and the others, I'll gladly high tail it off of Berk." She looked deterimined, the Astrid fire in her eyes, not the tired, broken girl who came to me last night, but the Astrid I grew up with. I nodded. "Let's go!"

I vaulted over the cover, and heard Astrid do the same behind me. Suddenly I was knocked to the side. Dagur held a blade at my throat. "Stay outta my team's way!" He growled. I staggered backwards, but pushed it aside with my axe. "Your team? I thought Camicazi was the leader of your group!"

That seemed to amuse him quite a bit, as he chuckled fot nearly a minuet before saying. "Oh, Hiccup, it hasn't been that way for a long time. Cami may make plans, but _I _call all the shots!"

I glared and rushed past him. Ten dragons had been released into the arena today. The remaining Gronkles, A snaptrapper, four Terrible Terrors, the scuttleclaws, and Bruiseface. Most had already been taken out, and Astrid and Ruffnut were working o the scuttleclaws while Fishlegs worked on sedating the gronkles with dragon nip, the grass Toothless and I crashed in that made him go nuts. Thuggory had the task of luering the snaptrappper to its cage with a light, while I took on Bruiseface. Perfect.

I ran at the Nightmare and smacked one of his bruises with my shield Bruisefce winced and looked at me with hatred, so he snapped at me. I jumped over his strike and landed on his snout, before bringing the top of my axe between his eyes. This seemed to be a stoker class weakness, because whenever I did this to a stoker, it fainted dead away.

As Bruiseface did just now. The red Nightmare dropped to the ground with a moan not unlike what I made after meeting Toothless. The others had managed to defeat their dragons, and the tribe went nuts. My dad was open mouthed at the face I had just taken on a Nightmare, the same Nightmare that had chased me screaming through the village.

He looked at Gothi, who was watching the event with interest. I think. It's hard to tell with those weird eyes of hers. "Well," he said. "I think it's clear which group has won?" She nodded, and the three gangs gathered together.

_Please don't be us, please don't be us, please don't be us._ I silently begged. She pointed to me and Astrid's group.

_We'll that's awesome. Let's go betray our new friends, eh? _I hung my head, depressed. The other groups were searing in rage, glaring at us like we had spat on their mothers. Well, Clueless was staring into the distance, but the rest were very, very angry. Nuttnut was nearly frothing at the mouth and had to be held back by Sven and Eret.

Bruiseface and the other dragons were hauled off to their cages, and the trainees began to drain out. I was the last one to go, as I finally managed to shove Bruiseface's tail back into a cage. Wiping my hands on my pants, I turned to Astrid, who was leaning outside the arena's gateway.

"You ok," she said, and I nodded. "I'll figure something-"

CLANG! The arena door slid shut in front of me. I was thrown backwards by the force of it, and landed on my rear. I quickly picked up my axe and shield, preparing for the worst.

My eyes scanned the arena, and found Dagur at the arena control leavers.

"Dagur..." I said. "What are you doing." He laughed again, chuckling so hard his armor shook. "Oooooh, Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup, I know your secret, I know how you and these pathetic wimps," My gang growled in anger from the other side of the door. I clenched my axe, and glared at the berserk Berkian. "What are you talking about Dagur," I said through my teeth as frustration built up inside me. There was too much, to much confusion, too much unpredictability, and I didn't like it.

The tribe murmured from the stands. "Dagur," Dad said, "What are ye doin?"

Dagur gave him a manical grin. "Just giving Hiccup his final exam early!" My eyes widened, and I realized what he was doing.

"No, no Dagur," I said, panick filling my voice. I took a few steps to the bars that separated the control room from the arena. "Don't do this!"

"Too late Hiccup!" He sneered and grabbed a leaver. "You should have stayed out of my way!"

"STOP!" I yelled as the leaver went down.

The cage door flung open and out came...

A tiny green terror without any teeth.

Everyone stared as it darted around the arena, hissing and spitting in indignant anger, before flying out the cage bars and into the sky without attacking anyone. "Awwwkwaaarrrdd." Tuffnut said, rubbing his head. Someone coughed and Dagur's eye twitched.

"Wrong cage," He grumbled, and took a look at the Cage guide again.

"Ah, here we are! Make your choice, WEAKLING!" He pulled another leaver down and the next dragon that came out was DEFINETLY not a Terror.

A huge Stormcutter blasted into the arena, a tornado of fire flying from its mouth. It obliterated the top of my axe and roared. It dashed around the arena, and climbed up the walls, clinging to the links of the roof cage. It roared and shot another blast, which the Vikings barely managed to avoid. Then, it noticed me, and dropped to the floor with force enough to shake the arena. The Stormcutter was twice as big as others I'd seen, with a blackish brown body, and brown red horns, like the color of dried blood. Most other stormcutters had white undersides, but this one's was ashen grey. It's body was pitted with scars and bruises, and it lashed it's tail at me, snarling. It crawled forward on it's bottom wings, flammable gas welling in its throat.

My heart was in my mouth. Here was the breed I feared most of all, the one that took away my mother when I was a baby, the one that was reserved for only the best, and I was here to make peace with it.

Ohhhhhhh gods, I couldn't do this!

"Come on, Hiccup," Dad cheered. "Show Dagur how wrong he is!" His eyes were filled with pride, and his chest was puffed out. "Make me proud, son!"

That steeled my resolve. I had had enough of ring to make him proud. This time, h was either like it or hate it. I wasn't going his way anymore. I gave him numerous chances, but he'd thown them all in my face. Well, time to just show him who Hiccup Haddock is!

I held my arms out to the sides, and slowly dropped my axe, or what was left of it, and my shield. The Stormcutter's eyes went from angry to confused. The Vikings above me made sounds of bafflement as the tools clattered against the stone floor.

"Hey hey hey, big guy. I-I don't want to hurt you." I whispered, putting my hands in front of me. The dragon still eyed me suspiciously, and it's gaze flicked upwards.

_My helmet,_ I realized. He was still scared of my helmet. "You can trust me, big guy," I said, as I took the thing off. "I'm not one of them," and with that, I flung the helmet away, down to the lower deapths of the arena.

The stormcutter looked at me with newfound curiosity, leaning it's massive head down to my level, its pupils dilating a little. It looked like a wise creature, not a mindless killer. I reviewed the stormcutter, I realized with shock that one of it's eyes was white instead of yellow. It was blind in it's right eye. "Your all good, One-Eye." I murmured.

"Stop the fight," I heard Dad say. "NO! All you Vikings need to see this, so sit down, and for once, in your boneheaded lives, _listen to me!_ They're not mindless monsters." One-Eye moved a little closer to my hand, rumbling a little. "We don't have to kill them." But it seemed Dad would have none of it.

"I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!" Dad roared, spitting, and slammed his hammer down on the cage bars in front of him. The ringing resounded around the arena and One-Eye's eye went slit pupiled. He snapped at me and I screamed, ducking under the massive dragon's head.

TOOTHLESS POV

My head shot up when heard Hiccup's screaming. The other dragons looked at me groggily. "Toothless?" Meatlug said, blinking wearily.

"HICCCCCCCCCCUUUUUUUUPPPPPPP!" I roared and flung myself at the Pretty-Prison-Home-Thing's entrance. "I'm coming brother!"

I clawed desperately at the cliff side, not caring about the other dragons' questions. My human was in trouble, and needed help now! To my horror, I began to slide back down the side of the cliff, the weight of Hiccup's device dragging me down even faster than before.

NO! I CANNOT FAIL! As I began going down again, I swung a paw upwards and dug my claws nto the ground, and pulling myself out of the cove with a heavy heave. My leg felt like it was gonna fall off, but that was on no concequence right now, as I started running. "Odin, Thor," I thought to myself, using my wings to propel myself short distances.

"Please don't let it be too late!"

HICCUP'S POV

I dodged under One-Eye as he snapped at me, then jumped over his tail. The massive dragon roared at me and jumped onto a wall with fire I only just managed to dodge. I saw Astrid slip in under the gate, "NO, Astrid, Don't!" I was cut of as I jumped to avoid a wing. Astrid picked up a hammer and flung it at One-Eye, causing him to recoil.

Why couldn't dad just listen to me, no, he had to poke the dragon!

The rest of the gang had disappeared, but I'll worry about it later, right now I was too focused on surviving. One-Eye looked at her and charged, but I grabbed a shield off the weapon rack and threw it into One-Eye's neck. He flinched, his attention turned back to me. He glowered, and suddenly the arena door was pulled up to the fullest extent. "THIS WAY!" Dad yelled, and me and Astrid ran towards him.

Astrid got there first, but One-Eye had other plans, and fired between me and Dad, forcing me to run the other way. He vaulted off the top of the arena to land on me, very similar to the position Bruiseface had me in on Stoker Day.

Suddenly I heard loud ballistic screeching, and the Vikings suddenly began panicking.

BANG! The arena filled with dust as a plasma blast lit the area up, and a black shape darted onto One-Eye, pulling him off of me. He withed and thrashed, but couldn't twist enough to get at Toothless, who was flapping his own wings to keep the stormcutter off balance.

"SOMEBODY GET IN THERE AND HELP HIM," A Viking yelled, and the dragons tumbled out of the dust. Toothless threw One-Eye a ways away, and One-Eye roared at him.

Toothless shot off a plasma blast that hit him square in the chest. The stormcutter fell into the lower levels of the arena and Toothless went on the offensive, blastingand clawing at the Stormcutter till it shrieked in defeat. One-Eye bowed his head to Tooothless and flew out the hole my Night Fury had entered through.

The Vikings got over there shock and started flooding the arena. Panick came in waves, and I could hardly breath. I pushed on Toothless, telling him to go, but the stubborn dragon just snarle at the Vikings flooded in. "NO, NO PLEASE!" I yelled as Toothless batted them away with ease. The Vikings came at him, only to be brutaly knocked backwards by tail, wing and paw. "_YOUR ONLY MAKING THINGS WORSE YOU STUPID VIKINGS,"_ I yelled, practically begging them to stop. It was no good, they kept so kept coming and coming, and soon Toothless might start opening fire.

This was not good, not at all!

"No, Stoick NO!" Astrid's voice reached me, and to my horror, Dad was rushing Toothless with an axe. "NO! DAD, HE WONT HURT YOU! Toothless seemed to zero in on him, and after sending Bob the Sled flying with his tail, he snarled ferociously, eyes narrowed, and rushed at Dad, tackled him, sending dragon and Viking Chief tumbling end over end. Dad ended up on bottom. Toothless mirropred what he did when he met me, slowly expanding his wings to resemble a growing shadow ad he prepared to fire-

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed, and my Night Fury swallowed the blast, looking at me with, _sorry-I-got-carried-away_ eyes.

Suddenly Dad punched him in the face and their positions were reversed. "Son," he said. "You can still redeem yourself. Give me a weapon, and help me kill the Night Fury!"

I stared at him. Did he really think-

Well, NO!

I picked up the hammer Astrid had used eriler and slammed it into Dad's gut. He stumbled backwards, a look of horror on his face. It quickly morphed to rage as Toothless got up and I put my arms on his head. "I won't kill dragons" I said. "I told you that the night before dragon training. I won't kill a member of my gang!" I was angry, and that anger pooled in my belly like Nightmare fire.

Dad made to charge my, but a wave of fire seperated us. I turned to see Thuggory on Stokehead at the hole in the cage. "We gotta go bro! The tribe's going nuts!" Outside I could hear fighting. I saw Stormfly pass over and knock out two Vikings, but the nadder had a gash in her side and was panting. Torch and Scauldy were fighting at the arena enterance, barely holding back a wave of Vikings as their riders tried to fend off Spitelout and Watrihog.

Tuffnut fended Wartihog off with a spear, but the much larger viking swong his mace and shattered the Male Thorsten's weapon, the next blow landing in Tuff's gut.

Spitelout, cut Ruffnut's lance in two and slammed the hilt of his sword into her throat. She collapsed, coughing, and spite lout kicked her in the stomach, and she flew, landing beside her twin. They looked up to see Nuttnut grinning sadistically at them.

He was knocked away bY Scauldy's tail, and the two dragons lifted their riders away, flying over the battle.

"HICCUP!" Thuggory said again, as Fishlegs and Meatlug passed over and opened fire into the middle of the viking hoard, not killing then but scattering them. A bolt from a crossbow flew and hit her wing, but it glanced off, but Meatlug started flying a little crooked after that.

I saw Astrid fighting, knocking out Hoark and Phlegma with her axe, and kicking Dogsbreath away. "We can't hold the vikings back much longer!" Suddenly Dogsbreath grabbed her right arm and twisted. She shrieked in pain, but Dogsbreath was thrown from her by a nadder spike carying him towards the wall by his shirt. Stormfly scooperd her rider up in her talons.

My gang and my dragons, fighting The Vikings. We couldn't stay anymore. Berk wasn't out home. "Gather the gang and meet me up top!" Thuggory nodded and pulled Stokehead away.

I looked back at Dad, who eyed me with disgust.

"You've thrown your lot in with Valka's murderers." He growled at me, fists clenching and hunching forward like an animal about to attack. "Your not a Viking," He gave me one last glare before spitting, "Your not my son!"

That was it, my last patience with _Stoick_ snapped. He looked at me, and then to Toothless. "The Night Fury isn't leaving the arena alive." He said calmly, bending to pick up the hammer I'd hit him with only moments before. My hand dropped to my side, where a small little invention I'd been saving was hidden. "Well, Stoick, I say he is!"

He grunted. "Glad to know where each of us stand." I brought out the invention. With a swing it came to life, the blade extending land catching fire as it was dragged against the floor. Inferno roared to life, the fire sword held proud in my hands.

"I don't want to fight you Hiccup." He said. "Well too bad, because to get to Toothless, you go through me." Behind me, Toothless growled, but I patted his head calmingly.

With a cold glare,a Stoick charged, roaring like a madman. I'd even this so many times, and I knew from the one time it did't exactly how to beat it. I ducked under his strike, spun and swong my blade, and Inferno sliced clean through his hammer's handle. The weapon's main weight clanged to the ground.

Stoick looked shocked. "Since when can you..." I ran to the control room and Stabbed inferno into the control leavers. Every singe cage open and the dragons inside bolted for freedom, everything from Smokebreaths to Skrills. Flying past. Stoick fought too push them back, but was failing miserably.

Wordlessly, I got on Toothless and flew out the hole. The gang and their dragons hovered outside the arena with me. "We are the Dragon Riders!" I yelled down at them. "And we officialy secceed from Berk, cutting off all ties and relations. We are no longer Vikings, and we _never _will be! See you in Hel, murderers!" I spat and steered Toothles towards the sea. The gang followed, and as we glided over the sapphire blue waters, I had no regrets.

Because we were leaving the place where we'd been thrown aside, where we'd become rejects and victims. I would never go back to Berk, I thought, looking at the blood flowing on Stormfly's side, Astrid's arm bent at an unnatural angle, the twins looking exhausted against their dragons, who both had gashes and cuts in their scales. Meatlug must have something wrong with her wing, because she isn't flying quite right.

Yes, I would never go back to that place, I thought, steering Toothless upwards to get a better vangage point so we could find somewhere to land. Why would I go back to a place where I lived in misery outside my friends, where "Hunt Hiccup'" was an established sport with rules and everything. Where none of my gang could ever feel safe?

I would never go back to Berk, or at least, that's what I thought at the time.

_################################_

_Sometimes you just can't convince people. But this is not the end of the story. Oh, no, not by a long shot. Because something tells me that things are going to change. We'll face monsters._

"Sir!" A man with a blue tattoo on his chin said, running acorss the ship deck to a massive man with dreadlocks and a metal arm. "I just got back from spying on Berk. "You'll never _belive _what happened!

_And equals._

Dagur stepped into Hiccup's room, and spoted a small book entitled, "How to Befriend a Dragon." The Berkian sneered as he pocketed it.

_And many, many challenges._

The Red Death stirred in her cave as her dragons reported in from bBerk, with quite extraordinary news. She gnashed her teeth at what this could mean in the future.

_There may yet be further allies in out future_

In a cave, a man whittles away at the handle of a battle axe, beautiful runes inscribed on the weapon. He looked out the cave enterance to see the ethrial glow of the Flightmare

Elsewhere, a woman with long brown braids wanders a dragon nest, closely followed by a large brown Stormcutter. A bewilderbeast's gigantic tusks moved beside her.

_And old enemies. _

Alvin ducked into the whispering death tunnels under berk, watching the Dragon raiders fly away, and nodded musingly to himself.

_But I know one thing, that I will **Always,** have my friends, and my dragons._

_ Because we're a gang. And gangs stick together!_

**_End of part 1_**


	8. Years

**Hello, I forgot the bold stuff the first go round! Sorry! Anyway, here's the start of part two.**

**Anyway, I would really appreciate all you guys and girls going over to Rebuilding your Life, a modern Angst/Mystery AU. Drop a review there and there, and give me that much bright a day/night, cause I can see how many people read this. A review only takes a few minuets, and they fill me with ideas on how to make the stories even more epic, so, yeah, PLEEEEAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEE REVEIW! PLEASE, I'M ON MY VIRTUAL HANDS AND KNEES, REVIEW!**

**Let's get started in:**

**The gang has turned badass, Hiccup's a samuri, and a cruel cliffhanger**

NO ONE'S POV

The sea was calm, the water was compleatly still. The sun was high up in the sky, not a living thing in miles when-

WHOUM! A Night Fury zoomed over the ocean, sending ripples everywhere.

On his back is a young man wearing a half made out of black leather, the other half made out of Night Fury scales. (Think HTTYD2 flight suit, but black and no straps on the legs, and instead of the Berk Insidgnia on his shoulder he had a carge clump of Toothless's thicker scales arramged in the strike class insignia). On his back was a long, thin mass of grey metal poles and black cloth, all folded up, two of the rods pointing up and between his shoulders. Spines like Toothless's ran along the suit's back in the center. On his left hip was Inferno, and on his right, a duplicate called Ember. His feet were planted firmly in the stirrups, feet moving to control the fins behind him While he leaned in close to the dragon's scales, head atop Toothless's.

They sped over the ocean, and Toothless gave his wings one might flap, hurling himself and his rider upwards. They approached a set of sea stacks and the nimbly flew through them, no hesitation, as if Toothless was still in control of his tail fins.

There were a few differences in Toothless's saddle, one beimg that it now had many, many mechanics on the side, all working in tandem to give the Night Fury back his flight. There were small, turntable grips beside Toothless's neck that Hiccup could use to opperate the fins if the stirrups were damaged, and there were leavers on the side behind the stirrups that released peddals behind Toothless's hind legs so that he could operate the contraption himself. The Night Fury diddnt much care for this option, for both the reasons that he tresured flying with Hiccup and, since his joints wern't made to work like that, it quickly wore out his hind legs. The framework on his tail was now made of Gronkle Iron, a material that Fishlegs and Meatlug had developed two years before. The frame was now far more durable, and Toothless could hardly even feel it's weight anymore.

The soared upwards, into the clouds, acending at speeds only a Night Fury could achive. Toothless himself had changed too, growing a few pounds bigger and two feet longer. A small scar ran under his neck, joining the ones left by Hiccup's bola launcher that fateful day.

Hiccup had become taller and more muscled, his round face sharpening and aubern hair darkening. His eyes had become even more bright, filled with adreniline and excitement as they gleamed out of his mask, which was jet black with ridges that made it resemble Toothless's head, even small green tinted visors over the eye holes.

When the broke the cloud cover, Hiccup patted Toothless's side. "Lets's do this Bud!" Toothless scoffed, as if saying, _oh come on! Again! _Hiccup chuckled. "Come on, Bud, we've done this dozens of times, and we only crash, like 5 out of every ten times! What are you so worried about?"

His night Fury gave a distressed groan, as if complaining about the 50% crash rate, and his rider sighed. "I'm doing it weather you like it or not!" He said, and pulled the levers that unlocked Toothless's pedals. The metal contraptions fell behind Toothless's feet. He reluctantly put them in, grumbling sourly as Hiccup jumped off. He grabbed the mass of metal and fabric on his back and put his arms into straps on the topmost ones, pulling handles on them.

The mass exploded into a mess of rods expanding and fabric streching, using the same mechanics as his fire swords, and extending like an unbrella. Soon it resembled a Night Fury's wings and fins. Hiccup slipped his legs into some straps behind him that controlled the back of the glider and started to fly, far less controlled than when on Toothless, but he could sustain it by flapping the main wings.

"WHOOOOOO!" He yelled, flying parrellell to Toothless as the ducked under the clouds and spiraled downwards.

HICCUP'S POV

Its been five years since we left Berk.

Five years since we set ourselves free, and to be honest, none of us have ever been better.

I finished my flight, and no, I did not crash the glider, thank you very much!

We touched arrived back in what we now called home. It was a huge, beutiful island, with orange trees and light mists goobg anove the leaves. (Itchy Armpit, as Toothless had named it when I asked his opinion)

"Hey babe!" I heard behind me. I twisted in the saddle, and saw Astrid and Stormfly approaching from behind. Astrid flew past us, flying upside down above me to kiss me. In the past five years she'd grown more beutiful than ever, and right now she was wearing the flying gear I had crafted for her, with a nadder scale shirt, Gronkle rion shoulder plates, and light blue leather sleeves. Her forearms were covered kn small Nadder spikes that could pop into position when she pulled a string on her shoulders She had a Nadder spike skirt, and leggings made of Stormfly's yellow scales, and lether boots. She wore a large hood lined with Nadder scales. On her back was her axe, unchanged. The top and bottom had retractable nadder spikes, but otherwise, it was the same weapon. No Dragons were harmed in the making of her suit, they were all collected during shedding season.

"Hello, Milady!" I called back, waving at her. "Where have you been?" She called over.

"You know, a flying Toothless, solo gliding, being epic. The usual." I drawled, and she grinned. We landed in the engrance lof a cave and dismounted. Our Dragons went to join the slumbering Meatlug. The dragon had changed too. She'd grown into a Titan Wing dragon trippling her wingspan and doubling her size. She looked like a big, tough Gronkle ready to smash, but we all knew she was just a little girl under all the muscle and jagged teeth.

Tuffnut and Ruffnut returned next. Tuff had taken up dreadlocks, and wore a jumpsuit made of Torch's scales. His weapon was a long metal pole, with axe blades on ethir end. He touched down with His dragon and grinned. I honestly think he was the best qualified to ride a Typhoomerang. Lets be honest, if anyone can withstand being spun like a top while flying through the air, fire all around you, it's Tuffnut.

Scauldy rose out of the water. The Scauldron had two large tanks of air on its back, both connected to tubes made out of a bendable, soft substance id discovered called rubber. They were connected to a mouth peice that let stuff breath from the air tanks. She wore a suit of Scauldy's scales That helped her not to be crushed by Scauldy's deep sea dive. Her weapon was a small sythe blade connected to a long chain. After hours of practice, she'd become deadly with the weapon, the thing curled at her hip like a whip.

Thuggory arrived last. Stokehead gad a simple brown saddle with a backrest on it, and the Timberjack hadnt changed much in the past five years. His rider, though, was a different story. Thuggory was now almost Stoick's size, and full of muscle. He had a brown suit made of Stokeheads scales at the cjest and shoulders, thick brown leather everywhere else. His face was wide and broad jawed, his nose twisted multiple breaks, and a thicket of black stubble on his chin. He was equipped with long, thin one-sided blades that hadndles at the top so he could fight and slash like a TimberJack.

Fishlegs greeted us. He was now only a little smaller than Thuggory, and equipped with a hammer with a metal pole for a handle. He was covered in Gronkle iron armor, painted and textured to look like Meatlug. "Hey guys!" He said, stumbling forward on his still too-short legs. He ran over to me with excitement. "Did you find anything?"

I shook my head. "Sorry fish. No new dragons, no islands... No Night Furies." That caused a bit of a sober mood around the room. The other dragins had all mated every year, and their families lived on Itchy Armpit, along with the two freeloaders, One-Eye and Bruiseface. They lived near the home cave, and we'd see them often, along with the arena's other Nightmares, some of the Smothering Smokebreaths, the Hackatoo, the green Zippleback called Barf and Belch, the green Scuttleclaw I named Arrow, the a blue and white Thinderdrum called Thornado, and a green rumblehorn called Skullcrusher. But we had never seen another Night Fury.

From time to time I would worry that Toothless felt alone. Then he'd give me his tooth-free smile and push me onto his back for a flight.

The mood was broken by a meaty hand clapping me on the back. "Eh, you'll find some eventually Hic!" Gobber said, and I smiled.

GOBBER'S POV DURING EXODUS

I was honestly afraid for Hiccup's life as the Stormbreaker chased after him. When the thing pinned him to the ground, I was honestly about to slip under the cage bass meself to help the lad, but before I could even twitch, I heard a sound I dreaded during the raids. It was loud and piercing, and so horrible it sounded a if the very air was screeching in pain!

The warning scream of a Night Fury about to strike.

Me an' the other Vikings leapt out of the way as the black shape shot into our midst and blew open the top of the cage, filling the arena with dust. I could see the Night Fury's enormous wings flapping in the cloud.

"SOMEBODY GET IN THERE AND HELP HIM!" Hoark yelled a few rows away, and I couldn't agree more-until the dragons left their smokescreen!

The Night Fury battled the Stormcutter, shooting it and throwing the larger dragon around. The thing may have been small, but that only ment it was used to fighting things much larger than itself. Just like Hiccup.

I'd seen Hiccup and Astrid training behind the village when they were nine, both equipped with axe's. A mistake, as Astrid was still to small to wield Hiccup's gift effectively, and Hiccup was even smaller than her. When they were thirteen, Astrid was like Ragnarok in human form when she had that weapon, but little Hiccup couldn't use it to save his life. Then Johan had docked with a special gift I'd requested for the lad- a book of fighting styles, speificaly one I thought would suit him well, where the warrior would use two long, light swords with a reverse grip, allowing the fighter to focus on his speed while being able to strike blows with unrivaled precision, occasionally twirling them into a regular grip for a few strikes, before switching back to reverse-grip. The boy had taken to the style like a Terrible Terror to fish. After about a year of training like that, he could fight Astrid to a standstill.

What shocked me though, was that Hiccup never used it. He didn't start carrying his swords in public, no matter how may times Astrid pleaded with him to start fighting back. When I confronted the lad, he said, "Gobber, I don't want them to like me for my fighting skills. If I do that, I'm no better than any other Viking, and as the son of the chief, I have to have _something_ unique about me, other than my size that is. So, let them think I'm weak. Once I become a warrior, I'll carry swords, I'll defend my honor- but I wont go around giving them a reason to think I'll do to them what Snotlout does to me. Besides, I want them to appreciate my metal work and my inventions, not the fact I can fight."

I had gapped at him, astounded by his patience. He didn't want his reputation to change just because he could fight. He wanted them to appreciate his true nature before he started bending to Viking ways.

"Besides, look at these." He held up his swords, Katanas they were called. "They're not exactly the most vikingly weapons out there. They'll probably think I'm weak for wielding such a light sword. Maybe I'll show them once I kill a dragon. A knife will do for now."

From the little hilt at his belt in the arena, it seemed that the two years since had worn that patience extremely thin.

I could only stare as the Night Fury beat back the approaching men, Hiccup and Astrid screaming at the top of their lungs for them to stop, to leave the dragon alone. Then Stoick, the boar headed idiot, rushed the arena with an axe, and the Night Fury had tackled him. I saw somthin' glint on the Night Fury's scales as Hiccup yelled, "NOOOOOOOOOO!" Then I spotted it, the dragon was wearing a saddle the same shade and texture as its scales, with so much machinery on it there could only be one fabricator.

Hiccup. The lad had _trained,_ or _befriended _the beasts. And the Night Fury was defending him, like a brother in battle. My Chief and my adoptive nephew came to an intense standoff as fighting broke loose outside, the rest of Hiccup's gang holding the tribe off on their dragons. But the look on Stoick's face as Hiccup disarmed him easily, I felt a stir of satisfaction. I'd been waiting for someone to look like that because of Hiccup since he first learned to fight-I just never expected it would be _Stoick _at the end of Hiccup's blade.

As he rose into the air on his loyal partner, a flood of enemies rushed past me, Hiccup the toddler staring as I pounded the iron for a sword, Hiccup the five year old glowering at me playfully for making him make nails for half an hour, a loathsome task for the both of us. Hiccup the sic year old pacing worriedly when he found Astrid's toy axe, then dating out, then how he returned three hours later clutching his arm, Astrid herself in tow with a newcomer, the twins vouching for him that his plan had worked, Fishlegs growing a spine and standing up for him, and Astrid grudgingly admitting that he'd done well, the forming of their gang. I remembered him waiting on me hand and foot when I'd lost one of each, working tirelessly to get me through it, and how eager to please he'd been. Memories of the incredible, loving Hiccup everyone had taken for granted.

"See you in Hel, murderers!" He snapped at his former tribe, and my fist shook in anger. Not at Hiccup's actions, no, just at Stoick, for driving Hiccup to... this. From the boy who wanted nothing but to please the people around him, to the man who'd gotten burned for trying to help stop a war.

As the boy flew away, I had no sympathy for the injured Vikings.

A few days later, a large man came into my forge. I was too busy pounding a shield into shape to pay attention. "Gobber?" I looked up, and saw it was Stoick. I say nothing, and returned to my work. The man had said nothing, not cried or grimaced or even shown any pain as Hiccup departed.

"Some of the villagers ae wondering why your weapons aren't as strong or as neat as your usual work."

I grunted. "They're not my work. This village has been fighting with Hiccup's craftsmanship ever since me limbs were lost." I gave him the deadpan look that had ben passed down from blacksmith to apprentice since dry wit had arrived on Berk. "Honestly, I may have been extraordinary with metal when we were young Stoick, but do you honestly expect me to retain it when I'm forty two and down 1/2 me limbs?"

Stoick glowered at me, but I continued before he could speak. "Ye spent the past five years fighting with the weapons YOUR SON made. YOUR SON tried everything to kill a dragon to show you that he could. He could SWORDFIGHT, but they were such unconventional swords, he was afraid of more rejection, so he decided to hide _that _too! until he gained your approval, so ye happy Stoick, YOUR SON, wanted nothing more than to make you happy, but all you did was drive him to that."

There was a flash of guilt in Stoick's eyes before- "That boy made himself friends with the devils. I 'ave no son!"

That was it for me. I put down my tools, and walked to my wall, grabbing a bag and stuffing it with me hands, me food, and as many scetchbooks from Hiccup's workroom as would fit, along with the designs for the Night Fury's equipment. then, I grabbed some provisions from the mead hall, got on a rowboat, and cast off from Berk.

For a few days and Nights I rowed, until the cheeky Thorsten and his Typhoomerang snatched me up.

HICCUP'S POV

The gang and I sat around the fire pit in out carved out home. I had talked a Whispering Death into making it for us, and the copious amounts of fish required was worth it for the cozy space. Gobber was roasting a fish over the fire, while I flung bits of Mackeral at Toothless, not really hungry. Astrid, who was sitting next to me suddenly perked up. "Hey," she said. "I passed over the Bog Burglars' place today and found out the date, it's the anniversary of our departure from Berk!"

Thuggory laughed and said, "Heh, five years since we were last on that stupid island."

Tuffnut leaned against a wall. "Best five years on my life." There was a general concencus around the room.

"Think they made Snotlout chief?" I asked, and Fishlegs snorted, nearly dropping his chicken legs into the fire. "Hah, if he did, then Stoick probably took it right back. I'd give him a day holding the position."

"Really Fish?" Astrid asked. "Aren't you being kinda generous. I say an hour!"

"A minuet!" Ruffnut yelled.

"A second!" Tuffnut followed, trying to one up her. Thuggory chortaled, "They'd probably come to their senses before the ceremony even started!" They looked at me expectantly, so I shrugged. "I duno, maybe he could last maybe a week."

I managed to keep the straight face for maybe, a minuet? Before we all broke down laughing at the thought of Snotlout with Stoick's job.

Astrid sat closer and put an arm over my shoulders. "One thing's for sure, I don't ever want to go back to that place, ever again! If we'd stayed, I would have had to," She gestured with her free hand sugesstivly. "With _Snotlout!"_ The thought seemed to disturb her, as she hugged me tighter. I smiled. "Well, I'm glad that was avoided," I smirked, and she punched me lightly on the shoulder pad with the Strike Class insignia on it. "I mean it," I said with conviction, "He's not worthy of you!"

"Awwww," Ruff said, smiling smugly at Astrid. "Isn't that sweet!" She gave Ruffnut a death glare, but remained where she was.

It was my dream, right there, everyone I loved, safe, happy, and at peace. We could live our lives like this, not caring about the rest of the world's problems.

It seems the gods had different plans though.

A loud ringing filled my ears, as well as everyone else's. The dragons groaned in pain, and I felt..._ something _move through the air.

"Worthy?" A voice said, and we all jumped. "How can any of you be worthy of anything. Your chains bind you, refuse to let you do what it takes to become dominant in your society. Your all... puppets... wrapped in your... strings. Dancing to their movements. Obeying their commands. Every intelligent being is merely a doll controlled by...strings. You have the illusion of willpower, but you greet your puppet master every day and you still don't know them!"

I was aghast. How could this thing suggest that?"

"Your dragons most of all. Their strings become leashes for other...puppets... when you... train them." The voice seemed to pause for breath. "There's nothing holding me down now. All you... puppets can do is watch as I put you in the burner. Because there are... no strings... on me!" The something in the air lifted, and everyone started to breath a little easier.

"What... was that?" Astrid gasped.

...

Drago's ship neared Itchy Armpit, and he felt something deep in his chest. Something ancient and powerful, a presence on the island that quickly departed. Oh well, he had other fish to fry...

**Two things before I go:**

**Hiccup's dual wielding/ reverse grip is actually not that great a fighting style in real life. But hey, its a fiction, I do what I want. Plus, they make him look badass. Good enough for ou, guy who asked to make Hiccup an epic warrior?**

**2nd thing: Before anyone calls me out on that, the mysterious voice WAS a reference to the new Avengers Age of Ultron trailer, but it fit the character soo perfectly I couldn't NOT do it, so I altered the speech a bit. Good enough?**

**REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW**

**PLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

**Good whatever-point-in-time-you-read-this, everyone.**


	9. DRAGONFIGHT!

**HI! Chapter 10 of the Gang is here, and this chapter is gonna be reaaaallllyyyy fun to write! It's a fighting chapter! Introducing the first confrontation of Drago Bludvist! **

**I wanna thank NightsAnger real quick here, because I was thinking no one was enjoying thus, but his reveiw made me want to continue, and not declare the Gang a deadfic!**

**Anothr point goes to supersandman86, because this epic person takes the time to PM me and give me all kinds of good ideas and support, without him the Gang wouod be a very, very different story. Stormfly would be a Flightmare, Nuttnut would be riding a Thunderdrum into battle against the Red Death, and this would have been a one of thoes slightly altered versions of the film. Now, Sandy recently put up his first story, Brother Night Fury, it would mean a lot to the both of us if you would go over there and drop a few reviews on it, and leave a few here and on Rebuilding Your Life and Time Fury. Remember, each reveiw only makes us want to get the next chapter out to you guys, that much more, so yeah. Go check Sandy's first story out!**

**Without futher ado, let's continue in:**

**HICCUP IS A BADASS, AND THE RED DEATH IS SCARRY!**

**(why do I do that before I start the chapter? Eh.)**

HICCUP'S POV

I rubbed my head, trying to recover from… whatever that was. Everyone else seemed to have been effected too, but the Dragons had it worse than anyone. Toothless put his paws on his ear flaps, and Stormfly seemed to be trying to remove her eardrums by bashing Her head against the wall of the cave.

When the pain in my head subsided, new suffering bloomed in my right arm. Astrid was gripping my arm with enough force to bend Gronkle Iron. When she was freaked, she gripped whatever was near until it snapped, which is why I frantically patted her back to calm her down.

She released my arm, panting.

"Ugghhhhhh!" Fishlegs groaned, and clutched his head in agony. "That hurt!"

Suddenly the dragons were still, and we all froze. The noises of the dragons across the island that we had gotten used to, the endless warbles and twittering now silent. A low chil seemed to defend over the cave until-

BOOM!

An explosion shook the cave, making the entire place vibrate "Dragons, NOW!" I yelled and we rushed over to them, grabbing out weapons and equipment as we went Gobber hopped onto his Hotburple, Grump, and heafted the only peice of equippment he'd allow me to make him-a large, versitile sheild. (A huge version of Hiccup's DOB sheild with a boulder class insignia instead of Toothless).

We flew out the opening and were immeadietly joined by Bruiseface and One-Eye. Bellow us were hundreds of dragon trappers, ensnaring out scaly neihbors. As I watched, the arena's Hackatoo was caught in a net and it fell into the mass of trappers. Enslaved dragons wearing armor battled it out in the sky with our populace.

Toothless flew under a Nadder battling an armored Gronkle, and dodged between a pair of Skrills, one a resident, one enslaved, that were flinging lightning at each other. Fireballs and smoke filled the air around us.

I grit my teeth. "An attack!?" I growled. My home was being raided!

But this time, _I _was the one in charge, _I_ was the one responsible to make sure everyone survived. Every loss, this time, was my fault. Well, me and Astrid, but she diddnt want that kind of responsibility.

"Ok, guys," I yelled, planting my feet in the saddle's stirrups, ready for some fancy flying. "Look's like the battle's already started. Tuffnut, find Thornado and Skullcrusher and bring them to the mountain top. Wait for me there, and I'll tell you what to do next, as soon as I can."

The male Thorsten nodded and pulled on Torches horns to glide into the forest. "Ruff, disable the weapons and soldiers sill on the ships, then do some recon, see what you find!"

"You got it chief!" Ruffnut called and directed Scauldy to dive down. "Fish, Astrid, help any dragons that are still trapped. Fish, you blow up the traps, Astrid, use Stormfly to cut the nets. Bring One-Eye!" They nodded, and dove into the battle below.

Astrid flew to the former Arena Hackatoo and tapped a spot on Stormfly's neck. The nadder shot a spike directly at the closing point of the net, and the axe-like dragon flew off, helping a bright yellow nadder who was about to be snapped up in a spring close trap. A few trappers threw spears at her, and Stormfly flapped a bit to rise above the weapons, before the offending part was pinned by their spikes.

Fishlegs and Meatlug buzzed over the treetops, breaking a line of mist. Fishlegs hefted his hammer and clocked a big, burly man of a net launcher. Meatlug clamped her jaws onto the barrel of the weapon and crushed it in her jaws, before flying up a Cliffside and swallowing a few boulders. The Titan Wing dragon blasted into the masses of trappers, scattering them.

I fumbled for a whistle in my shirt pocket, then blew it. Three Zipplebacks near me closed their wings and grabbed their tails in their teeth, gas spreading over their bodies. They sparked up and became wheels of fire, scattering the invaders as they rolled past.

A blue Zippleback got trapped under fly-swatter like trap, pinning the poor creature, though it was rescued by a thunder drum who burst it apart with a sonic blast.

I pulled my attention away from flew behind me, the Smug Nightmare now one of my loyalist followers. I directed him to pour his fire into anything he didn't like, and his smug leer returned. I almost pittied his tarets. Then I looked at the remains of the mountain I had called home for five years. Catapaults had ruined it, our little cave left to rubble.

"Gobber!" I yelled, and the smith looked at me. "Go after the archers. Fly low, use Grump's tail to knock them out, ensnare the long range shooters with the bola crossbow!"

"Got it!" Gobber yelled, and Thuggory flew next to me, Stokehead's gigantic wings putting a shadow on Toothless and I. "What about you guys?!"

I cursed myself inwardly. I hadn't thought at what to tell Thuggory to do. I was too focused on the battle around me to give my final orders. The eerie orange trees and enchanting mist now replaced by destructive blazes and falling dragons. Anger filled me. My home was in danger, the home that I has cherished these past five years.

I wasn't going to let this happen again. Toothles flew between a cloud of Terrible Terrors and he roared orders at them. The pet sized dragons flew away to comply, then I returned my attention to Thuggory.

"Go join the battle, help the Ziplebacks on the east side. They need you over there, give Stokehead something to slice with all the catapaults lined up there!" My large friend nodded and flew off to do his job. I dove into the ranks with Toothless, taking out a hammer from one of his saddlebags

One particularly large one was blown up by Meat lug, and I passed a line of archers. "Heeeaaaaaaads up!" Gobber called, and directed his dragon to fly lo. Grump's lumpy, macelike tail slammed into their skulls, and they went sprawling, Gobber laughing at the carnage behind them. I chuckled too. A Boneknapper, Gobber's former nemesis, flew past my head and started stomping the catapaults.

"Gooood boy Cremator!" Gobber yelled to the dragon that had taken his arm, and it grinned back at him.

Without warning, one of the captive Rumblehorns slammed into our side, and I reached into my leg pocket, and took out some dragon nip. The Rumblehorn calmed down immeadietly, its dark blue body relaxing into a glide, but the damage was done. The right pedal was completely bent. Looks like Toothless would have to keep relying on his solo pedals, and I grabbed Inferno, holding it reverse gripped as the blade expanded. I parried an armored Hackatoo's chop with the weapon as if flew close to me and Toothless.

Down below, the men started retreating, and I grinned. Maybe we could make it out of this alive after all.

Toothless and I flew up there, finding Tuff with the dragons I asked for and Ruff too. "Ok, Thornado, Skullcrusher, your on cleanup duty. Destroy the remaining traps and drive off the last of the trappers. Tuff, go join the others."

They nodded and jumped off, going out to follow orders. "Ruff, what have you got."

"No remaining equipment remaining Hiccup!" She said, refiling Scauldy's air tanks as she talked. In the past five years, she'd learned to multitask in battle. "But there is one guy, really big, lotsa dreadlocks, scaly cape. Everyone seemed to be talking to him, I think he's in charge."

"Ok!"

As Toothless and I lifted off, I noticed she was bleeding from her side. I put a got her attention, and said, "Get a safe distance away and patch that up. How are the others?"

She shrugged. "Don't know. But I saw One-Eye was some gashes, and Astrid was thrown off Stormfly."

I began to panick, fear filling my head. "Is she ok?"

"Fine, but she banged her head, and was looking a little wobbly on Stormy's back."

That was a relief, but I rubbed my head to keep focus. "Get the others, and get outta here!

My eyes scanned over the decks, searching for the man in Ruff's report. There he was, standing next to a mast, glaring at a man who looked remarkably like Eret. Stormfly puled up beside us. "Hiccup!" Astrid yelled, and I could see the beginnings of a bruise on her head. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm calling the retreat!" I yelled back. "Now, go Astrid! They might have some more surprises, but I can by you some time if I give them something to hunt!"

She opened her mouth to protest, but I held up my hand. "ASTRID! Go, I'll take care of this."

Then something hit me, a memory from a raid so many years ago.

_"They've found the sheep!" Hoark yelled."_

_"Concentrate fire over the lower banks!" Stoick yelled, setting his seven year old son on the ground next to Phlegma. He tosses his hammer over onto the floor of the catapult, and directs it at a pair of Nadders lingering near a sheep pen. The operator yells "FIRE!" And a rock is launched, cashing into the purple nadder with a crunch! _

_Suddenly Stoick spots a light flickering under the catapult, and picks Hiccup back up, shoving him into Phlegma's arms. A Monstrous Nightmare bursts through the walkway of the weapon, leering viciously, it's hide ablaze, flames nearly masking its feral yellow eyes. He picks his hammer back up. "HICCUP, PHLEGMA, GO!"_

_He turned to the Nightmare somberly. "I'll take care of this!" He muttered and raised his hammer._

Hiccup blinked at the memory. He had sounded just like Stoick just now. But, that wasn't right. Stoick was bad, and I tried everything not to be like him. But I couldn't help if I resembled the way he acted when he loved me... right? I shook my head, clearing it. "I'm serious, I got tis! Have Gobber look at your head."

She trid to protest again, but I gave her a begging look. "_Please _Astrid." She huffed, and reluctantly steered Stormfly away.

"You too bud." I muttered, and Toothless roared indignantly. "I know, I know, Bud, you don't like leaving me but... Seriously, just let me do this!" I jumped off his back and extended my glider, sighing in relief as Toothless turned to follow Stormfly.

I soared over the boats and landed on the ship with the large man, my glider collapsing back into storage form as I landed.

"Sooo," I drawled, exaggeratingly swinging one foot over the other as I walked. I clapped my hands together, and put on what Astrid called my "Angry Smile," Where I was smiling pleasantly, but my eyes gave you the feeling I was planning on feeding you to Toothless. "Who do I owe the pleasure of thanks for my ruined home? It took a lot of time to find a place like this you know, Isolated, uninhabited by Vikings, filled with dragons, and maybe some cool mist to top it off."

The man smirked. The left half of his face was lifted slightly. While not blatantly torn off or scarred, something about the invader's face suggested he had suffered an injury that caused it to become uneven. He extended his right hand, his left still firmly under the scale cloak, which now I recognized as a Hobblegrunt hide.

"Drago Bludvist," He said calmly. I refused his hand, but I did say, "Hiccup Dracomicus," using the last name I had choses for myself. He tilted his head. "Hiccup," He mused. "I know that from somewhere." His face turned ponderous for a minuet, before he shook his head. "Probably nothing, but never the less, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He sauntered around deck, taking a bull hook from one of his men. "As for your question, young man, I am simply here on business. To expand my army, I need to invade, pillage and plunder unfortunate islands like yours to fill these cages."

He gestured to the confinements around him, which, in fact, contained only air. "But I'm afraid you rather got in the way of that." He ran a finger over the bull hook's blade. "Your going to have to die for that."

"I get that a lot. Actualy, I used too. Now, whenever I screw with Alvin. he uses different words as I leave him in a burning wreck of failure." I threw up my hands for emphasis and slowly moved them apart, miming an explosion. "He's gotten quite colorful about it recently." Drago growled a little, and I reached for my swords, ember in my right and Inferno in my left, and held them in reverse grip as the expanded and flamed. Thankfully my clothes and glider were fireproof, that would have been embarrassing.

The men stumbled back. "You might wanna make sure I don't drop these, you know, wooden boat, big ocean, fire swords-H-hows your swimming."

One of the trappers, a pudgy one, muttered dejectedly, "Not good." I bit back a laugh at this.

"So, Draga, Bloodyfist," I said. "How 'bout it. Rider versus Conqurer (**giving full credit to NFS Lover here**)?"

He roared and lunged with his bull hook. The man was so slow I dodged easily, and leaned away from his left fist as it swong at me. To my surprise, it was completely made of metal, the fingers welded into a fist. The natural arm lasted only to a little past the elbow (**I KNOW IT'S THE WHOLE ARM IN THE MOVIE, BUT THIS IS EASIER FOR FIGHT SCENES!**) I twirled ember into an upright grip and swung, but his metal arm caught it, and the fire sword left behind a little burn in the metal, before I slashed upwards with inferno, bringing Ember back to a regular grip. Drago's hook stopped the blade, however, and pushed me away. I stumbled backwards, but landed on my feet, and rushed forward, darting under his thrust and kicking him in the side, then slashing his left shoulder.

The wound bled, but the large man didn't seem to notice.

Or the mental immiage of decorating his ship with my innards took his mind off the pain. Yeaaaahhh.

He punched me in the face with his metal arm, and I felt hot liquid run down my cheek. He thrust the bull hook forward, but I leaned back fully, the blade scratching my nose as it retracted. I Dashed to his left, and slammed the hilt of Inferno into the place where I kicked him, rewounding what had to be a bruise. I Went on the complete offensive, slacking, twirling and striking, jumping and kicking, slamming my sword hilt's into him.

If only Stoick could see me now.

Soon a good bit of Drago's dreadlocks had been burnt to crisps, and gashes raked his chest, and he was growling in anger. I was in about the same shape, my black armor a little brown-red from blood leaking from a cut in my shoulder, and my leaping as impaired by a cracked rib. But I wasn't done, not by a long shot. I surge forward again and this time brought Ember's hilt into Drago's jaw. The big man went back a few feet, but kept his footing.

Suddenly there was a stinging pain behind my eyes, and I froze, seeing bright white tusks, a brown StormCutter, and eyes like my own. The moment of hesitation was taken advantage of by Drago's metal fist slamming into my face, and I flew backwards, right into the railing of the ship. My jaw throbbed, and so did my rib. "You thought you could take ME on," Drago taunted. "YOU? Your only as big as a few Terrors stacked on top of each other!" He punched me again, and my vision became hazy. His bull hook stabbed into my chest and I winced as he carved something in there. "You like dragons so much. Why don't I make sure you carry their mark, FOREVER!" He yelled as he finished carving the Strike class insignia in the center of my chest, and I wheezed from pain, seeing double.

"You..." I moaned, stinging spreading over my chest as I continued bleeding. "You can't.." he laughed. "Can't what?"

"Can't..control...dragons. No more... than you... control...people!" At this, Drago scowled, and clenched his fists, then grabbed me by the neck. "You remind me of someone." He pulled my to where his mouth was at my ear. "Someone I dislike very, _very _much!" And clenched his fingers around my throat, probably leaving a bruise. I was still gripping Ember and Inferno, now retracted and cool, as he carried me to the front of the ship. "And What I dislike, I throw away." He growled in anger, before tossing me over the deck of the ship to the waters below, blood still flowing from my chest and in too much pain to swim. I closed my eyes, and...

**Heheheheheheheheheheh**

**Sorry, couldn't resist my first evil cliffhanger.**

**To be honest, this was less fun then I thought it would be, though I enjoyed Hiccup Vs Drago, I must admit Im a little disappointed in the end result. But what do you guys think!?**

**Remember, reviews will only get the next chapter out faster!**

**Have an epic whatever-point-in-time-you-read-this, everyone. **


	10. Flightmare in Red Death

**Hello! Not-Alone-Hiccup is back!**

**More thanks to supersandman86, the most epic idea guy I know. Go check him, and his two stores out if you would please. I will be updating Time Fury next, if things go** **as planned. **

**As for a schedule, there is none. But expect Pet Day and Rebuilding Your Life to be the most common on weekdays, and anything could be posted on weekends.**

**Also, for those wondering about Hiccup and Astrid's relationship status: they are married. in viking culture they probably would have done it by now. This was my first stab at wounded fluff. **

**So lets get this ball rolling in:**

**HICCUP'S AN IDIOT! THATS ALL I CAN SAY ABOUT THIS ONE! HE REALLY SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT COMING! AND THEN HE GOES AND NOT LISTEN TO TOOTHLESS!**

_Previously:I fell towards the ocean, flood flowing from my chest, in too much pain to swim..._

HICCUP'S POV

Ugh, Oh man that hurt! The cold water hit my back like thousands of knives. My blood flowed from the wound in my chest, and everything started to go dark as I sunk.

The pain from it was bad, it felt like thousands and thousands of needles, all pressing into my wounds and pricking my skin, filling my ears and nostrils.

The light of the sun slowly disappeared end as I sunk, the boat and the sun fading.

Through the water in my ears, I heard something splash into the water above me. A huge figure moved in the darkness as everything went black...

"...YOU ARE THE WORLD'S MOST IDIOTIC, SELF-SACRIFICING, STUPIDLY NOBLE, WORRYING HUSBAND THAT WILL EVER BE!" I heard Astrid screaming as I returned to consciousness, felling like Thor had mistaken the inside of my head for an enemy's face that needed repeated smashing.

We were in a carved out cave, with a wooden door at the entrance. It was undecorated, with only a chair by the door and the bed I was currently laying on.

My thoughts were a bit unclear. Who was she talking to? Husband? She was married? Since when?

Oh yeah, the Bog Burgalers had married us last month. Ahhhhh. That was a good month. Oh, oh, she had been ranting over my unconscious body. Glad I missed that. She gets a bit... Disctriptivly colorful when she's upset. Wait, wandering thoughts, must be a mild concussion.

Astrid was standing with her back to me, fists shaking at her sides, near the door.

I managed to groan, "Well, at least I'm not boring." She whirled around. She was out of her Nadder Flight Suit, and was wearing a simple brown tunic and leggings, her hair upbraided.

I grinned at her furious, relived expression. It was so beautiful on her, the stress of me being hurt melting right off her face and replaced with purpose. Sure, it was knocking sense into my head, but still, beautiful. I kept smiling right until the point that she slapped me in the face. "Ow!" I yelled, and she grabbed me by the bandages, hauling me upright.

"HICCUP HORRENDOUS HADDOCK THE THIRD," she yelled into his face. "IF YOU DON'T STOP PULLING CRAZY STUNTS LIKE THAT AND GETTING KILLED, I WILL CHAIN YOU TO A POST AND MELT DOWN TOOTHLESS'S TAIL CONTROLLERS!"

"Ears ringing, Astrid! Ears ringing! Ow!" I said. How did she even reach thoes volumes? I love her, but man, she could pop my ear drums with that yell! She pushed me back down onto the bed.

"What were you thinking?" She said, crossing her arms.

"Drago, the guy attacking Itchy Armpit, needed to be stalled for you guys to escape. You had a head injury-"

"A minor one!" She cut in bitingly, giving me a glare. I flinched at bit, but her eyes soon softened.

"You really do need to stop doing that. Thornado carried you back in his mouth. He, Skullcrusher, One-Eye, Bruiseface and Toothless were all hovering out of sight but waiting to help. You got some pretty loyal dragons, Fishbone."

I smiled weakly. "Stormfly's just as faithful to you, Milady. I'm sure your relationship with her rivals me and all five of them."

"Don't you ever forget it." she said, and kissed my forehead. "Rest, Idiot." she said. "Ruff it said you lost a lot of blood, and you need to rest to get it back." I was reluctant, but she sat next to the door and began sharpening her axe.

"How long was I out?" I said worriedly.

"Thornado only brought you back a couple of hours ago. You didn't go into a coma, just passed out from bloodloss.

I fingered the bandages. "So, am I gonna get a cool scar out of it," I said, teasing her about her opinion on scarring.

She threw her whetstone at me, and I leaned to the side to dodge.

"Yes," she said. "The cuts were deep enough to scar, but Thornado brought you back before you could get infected."

"I'm serious though," I said with a stupid grin. "Its a pretty cool scar. A Night Fury, in the center of my chest. Now that's awesome!"

Must be a bad concussion. Astrid got mad when I praised my wounds. Did I _want _her to send me the rest of the way to Valhalla?

Before she could say anything, then door burst open. A huge black mass filled the doorway, and suddenly my vision went pink as a huge, wet forked tongue dragged over my face.

"Agh! Ah! Toopthess!" I tried to yell as my Night Fury friend licked me all over. I tried to push him off, but he planted a paw on my chest and knocked the wind out of me.

I could hear my loving wife Astrid laughing as he slowly suffocated me with his tongue. I flailed and got the stupid reptile to get off. He backed up, rumbling in happiness, his flying gear tinkling as he shook with excitement.

"Yeah, bud, I know, I know, your happy to-" Now Toothless seemed to deem it time to give me an earful too.

"ROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE!" He yelled in my face, just like five years ago, and left to pout that he'd been sent away instead of staying to fight.

I blinked. Wow, that was loud.

My wife and my dragon both mad at me. Ohhhhhh great.

ASTRID'S POV

My husband is an idiot.

Its widely accepted among the Dragon Riders. He's stupid, reckless, unselfish, and makes sure even Toothless, who is practically Hiccup as a Dragon, is ok before he even thinks about his own state. He's going to die because of that. Or loose a leg. Maybe both. Ugh.

After the idiot finaly agreed to sit in bed-with his pal, the Terror Dagur had accidentally released, Sharpshot, sniping for him if he tried to leave- and I left to go plan something personal.

We were in a safe house the Whispering Death we had resued from Alvin, and her son, the Screaming Death, had dug out for us.

The pair had disappeared shortly after, but gave us this before we could talk them into another one. We didn't like it because it was dangerously close to Berk. Only twenty minuets flight on Meatlug away.

I felt uneasy about being this close to Berk. We would be killed on sight if we were caught. But really, only Bucket and Mulch in their fishing boat would come out this far. Twenty minuets flight on dragon was still a long time by boat.

But I had a reason for picking this safehouse. This was the year the Flightmare would come to Berk!

The Flightmare killed my uncle ten years ago and shamed my family. I may not be a Hofferson anymore, but my pride wouldn't allow me to let it live. I loved Stormfly almost as much as I did Hiccup, but I didn't have any qualms about killing the Flightmare. Itdidn't even come to Berk for food, it wasn't part of the other dragons' raid. It just showed up every ten years and started to kill!

I had no pity for this dragon. It was probably feral by the way it acted during attacks, mindlessly tearing into buildings, people, and livestock, destroying everything in its path and striking fear into the hearts of the viking, even my Uncle Finn. He was the only person I regretted leaving on Berk, as of me and my mother's... Falling out. He was Dad's brother and emulated him in every way. Sometimes, when he was around, I felt like Dad had never left.

Then the Flightmare came, and shamed him into silence. He was never the same after that, just sitting quietly, with an angry expression on his face. He would go back to his old personality sometimes, but he was closed off completely the rest of the time.

I sharpened my axe and eagerly awaited the ethereal blue glow of the Flightmare in the sky.

* * *

><p>I was waiting for a few weeks. Hiccup made a full recovery in no time, and was back to practicing fancy ways to fall to his death, and scouting new islands to call home.<p>

I wandered around the safe house, trying to think of things to do.

I was completely bored out of my mind as I fed Stormfly and my purple Terror partner, Sneaky. He was known for almost completely vanishing when no one was paying him any attention, then reappearing on someone's head.

The purple Terror sat on my shoulder as Toothless flew in. "Hey, Babe," He called in my direction. "Find anything?" I asked, and was disappointed when he shook his head. "Nuh-uh. Not a single island of dragons left. Drago seems to have bled the entire archipelago dry." He rubbed the back of his head. "Well... Except for one place."

I looked at him. "What place."

"Not a nice place," he said, and I punched him in the arm, causing him to yelp and stumble a little. "I was a Viking. I'm used to not nice."

"As far as I can tell, no Viking as ever set foot there, but something's just... Wrong about that place. As if something terrible was going on there." He rubbed the back of his head again, and I bit my lip. "So, out of the question?"

He held up a hand. "I didn't say that. I just..." he sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'm going back tomorrow. I want to check it out again."

Hiccup slouched tiredly. "I'm gonna stay up a bit later to work on Inferno and Ember's mechanics and refill their gas and saliva tanks. Maybe recalibrate the pedals on Toothless's gear, and oil the joints..." He rattled on about his repair work, before telling me to head off to bed.

I did, my finches clenched into fists at the thought of the Flightmare.

* * *

><p>The next day Hiccup and Toothless left for the "New Island," they had found. The Night a Fury didn't want to go, but Hiccup was too curious to let it rest.<p>

I wandered around a bit, but suddenly I thought of a question. Something that I had neglected to think about in the past five years. I was ashamed of myself for not thinking about it sooner, but I guess, with the flightmare approaching me, I was reminded of Uncle Finn.

I found Gobber in his forge. "Hey, Gob."

"Lass." He nodded, and continued to pound at the metal in front oh him.

"Hey, Gobber," I asked again. "How did my uncle react to us leaving."

That froze him. The old smith stopped pounding and lowered his prosthetic hammer. "Lass, let me tell you something first." The former viking had a serious, grim look on his face, and his voice was somber. Before I tell you what I know, understand that this is in no way any fault of yours."

A cold feeling began in the pit of my stomach. Dead filled me to my very essence.

He wasn't-

He couldn't be-

"Gobber, he isn't-" her throat clenched. "He isn't _dead, _is he?"

Gobber looked at her with serious blue eyes. "Most likely not. But he may as we'll be. You see lass, a he was in the crowed that charged Toothless. He was probably thinking that if he could kill the Night Fury, he could earn his title back as 'Fearless Finn Hofferson."

She nodded at him to continue. "His pride took quite a blow when our black friend paid him no more mane then slamming a wing in his face. Yer uncle was furious, Sven and Argon had to hold him down so he wouldn't make another to with a sprained shoulder.

He kept it together for the rest of the attack, but once ye left he lost it!

Knowing his favorite niece allied with the beasts that took his pride broke the man, and he went mad, feral, frothing at the mouth."

I didn't want to hear about this. I didn't want to know how I broke my uncle. I clenched my hands, quivering. I had to hear it to the end, no matter if it hurt!

"He went to attack anything that moved. In the end, we tied him to a mast, and shipped him off. Like I said, might as well be dead."

That was it. I was gonna kill the Flightmare. Uncle Finn wouldn't have reacted like that without the stupid blue dragon!

I stormed out of the forge, rage in my belly, at the Flightmare, at Uncle Finn, at myself for leaving like that.

Later, I was out on Stormfly, wearing the Nadder Flight Suit. It was late at night, and it was probably dangerous to fly like this. Nadders were not meant for night flying, and we could easily get lost. But flying was the only thing that could clam me down after Gobber's story.

However, before I could start any tricks with Stormfly, the river below us started to glow. I heard a loud screech and a blue glow emerged from behind a mountain.

THE FLIGHTMARE. I directed Stormfly to attack, but it's glow increased and blinded both of us. We flinched and fell back a few feet. "Agh! It certainly lives up to the hype!" I growled, before tapping her middle head spike, the sign to fire. A stream of magnesium flew from my dragon partner's mouth, but the beast could dodge like a Night Fury, and flew right over it.

It screeched and sent a stream of blue light at us, but Stormfly and I weren't Hiccup and Toothless's rivals in dragon racing just because I was his wife. We turned in a barrel roll, but it flew in close and swatted Stormfly in the eye and she fell into the river.

A bit of water splashed into her mouth, along with some glow-y stuff, and she gulped before I could stop her.

To my amazement, she started to glow bright yellow. Like the Flightmare. "What the-"

I was cut off as the Flightmare screeched and shot Stormfly with its blue beam thing. She froze up, but I didn't have time to think on that. It came down for a low pass, and I took a fistful of Dragon Nip from her saddlebag.

I tossed it into the face if the Flightmare. The dragon moaned and fell on its side, skidding to a halt in the dirt.

"This is for Uncle Finn!" I yelled, and raised my axe, about to bring it down on the dragon's head-

-and it was stopped in its path by the blade of another axe.

"Stop!" A rumbling voice yelled, and something stood up from the back of the Flightmare. A man dressed in its scales, glowing just like it was. He pulled his hood back, and I gasped. "Uncle Finn?"

HICCUP'S POV

Toothless and I flew through the mist. "Maybe you were right, Bud." I patted his side, and he grunted, as if to say, "I told you so!" Before smacking me with an ear plate.

I growled in frustration. Wait, that growl wasn't me! I peered through the fog.

I could see the outline of a green Nightmare in the fog. It was holding a dead yak in its claws, and growling warningly at me.

I heard a hiss to my left and saw a Zippleback gripping a sheep. Suddenly the fog thinned, and we were surrounded by hundreds of dragons, all holding some form of food.

"Raid dragons, hauling in their kill." I murmured. Toothless snorted in agreement. "Oh no Bud. I'm so sorry!" I said, realizing what I had done.

I had forced Toothless to return to the Raid Dragons.

Soon we were boxed in. No room. No chance of flying in any direction.

We were trapped.

All of a suddenly, all the dragons flew downwards, skimming the water, then into the hole of a mountainside.

Thousands of dragons surrounded us. "Woa!" I yelped as a Gronkle flew over my head.

We arrived in a cavern filled with mist. Millions of dragons hid in ledges, on ledges, some clinging to the celling. This was the Dragon's Nest.

"What Stoick wouldn't give to find this!" I said as Toothless hid on an empty ledge. The dragons started dropping the food into the hole.

That was annoying. All the food I worked so hard to help defend was being dropped down a hole. I rolled my eyes and clenched my fists on the handles of Toothless's saddle. Suddenly a Gronkle flew past. It must have been wounded or something, because it's flight was shaky.

It flew over the pit, then hovered. It vomited up a little fish weakly. That was all it brought back?

Suddenly there was a loud growl beneath them. I shook a bit from the noise. The Gronkle looked ashamed, then scratched its ear with a leg like a dog, then tried to fly away.

A giant dragon's head flew out of the mist and snapped up the Gronkle. I nearly screamed. It's head was bigger than Berk's great hall!

"WHAT IS THAT?" I yelled, and the thing spotted us.

"Bud, Bud, Bud, you gotta get us outta here!" It's eyes narrowed on me and Toothless. "NOW!"

Toothless darted away from the gigantic dragon as it lunged.

The rest of the smaller dragons panicked and followed us as w. Flew away. We were only saved when it snapped up a poor yellow Zippleback instead if us.

I was breathing heavily as Toothless and I sped away through the mist. I didn't know what that thing was, or how to deal with it.

But I did know what was causing the Raid Dragons.


	11. The Enforcers

**NOT-ALONE-HICCUP IS HERE! AND BACK WITH SOME NEW SURPRIESES. **

**LETS START WITH THANKING EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU WHO READS THIS, AND ALL THIES WHO REVIEW. ESPECIALLY YOU SANDMAN, YOUR EPIC! HE AND I MAKE SMALL CAMEOS THIS CHAPTER, BUT YOU WILL NEVER FIND US!**

**IM SO EXCITED TO KEEP THE STORIES GOING! GUARDAIN NIGHT FURY, REBUILDING YOUR LIFE, TIME FURY. I CAN'T WAIT!**

**So, let's go in**

**THE BOGGIES ARE FUN, AND THE RIDERS HAVE SOME COMPETITION!**

ASTRID'S POV

"Uncle Finn?!" I gasped, both overjoyed and dumbfounded at my long lost uncle being before, dressed in Flightmare scales, wielding his famed axe, Drageblod, in its defense!

"Sorry, lass." he said. "Lightmare had my back for the past four years. Wouldn't be fair of I didn't have hers," he said, and the Flightmare got up.

I looked from him to the brightly glowing dragon several times, my axe lowering with each twist of my neck, till the blade splashed into the river water, my eyes huge.

"WHAA?!" I yelled, before my affection instincts took over-

I slammed the butt of my axe into his gut.

He doubled over, wheezing, and the Flightmare snarled until I grabbed my uncle and pulled him into a tight hug, then pulled away.

"Your ok!" I said, relived. "G-Gobber said they shipped you off for going mad, and here you are, defending your nemesis."

"Former nemesis," Uncle Finn corrected. "Now my companion for life!"

I could hardly believe my ears.

"How-How did this even happen," I said with happiness. Behind me, Stormfly, still flowing yellow, started to twitch a bit. I sat down on the riverbank, and he plopped next to me, Lightmare wandering off somewhere.

"Well, it started when they shipped me off. A few days after I was cast out, I started to calm down a bit. The swaying of the boat, the quiet, it was kind of relaxing for me, I guess. And I thought about how you left.

You ran out of our hall crying the previous night, and your mother told me why. I certainly put my two bits in, I'll tell ye that," he chuckled.

"But she wouldn't hear it. You were marring that walking, talking peice of toe rot, and there was nothing I could do about it. I thought about how frustrated you were when we told you to get inside, how close you were to snapping whenever they goaded you.

That calmed me down a little, the thought that you had a reason besides the dragons to leave. The madness faded a little. But before I could make my way out of the ropes, a storm hit.

Thor must have been enraged. Even the raindrops almost tore holes in the sail, not to mention the hail. Worse, I had sprung a leak. The storm went on for hours, and I was pretty sure I was going to die."

He swollowed hard, and the glow of his Flightmare scale suit faded, becoming a dull green. So did Lightmare behind him.

"Then she was there, just looking at me. Her glow was gone, but something just told me that it was the same Flightmare. Then, for some reason,she bit my ropes off and carried me off to her home in the mountains. You can probably guess what happened from there."

I nodded, a bit to amazed to say anything.

"But, but what are you doing!? HEADING BACK TO BERK?!" I punched him in the gut again. It was a genuine possibility, my uncle was called "Fearless," and not "Clever," for a reason.

"Glad to see the years haven't changed your communication methods..." He wheezed on the ground.

"And no, Lightmare just flew out here out of the, er, ignore the pun, out of the blue." he waited for the pain in his gut that was his niece's greeting gift to fade, before saying, "Nice wedding band by the way. "

He suddenly stiffened. "Wait a second-WEDDING BAND?" He shot up-hey, Hofferson durability- and grabbed me by the shoulders.

"Your married?"

I grinned. The old arse had used to tease me that I would become an old maid with all the rejection I dished out, especially the time I cracked Dogsbreath's skull when he wouldn't leave me alone.

"What doomed man dared to ask for you?"

"My name's Astrid Haddock you old fool, figure it out!" I chortled.

I bit my tongue to his the insane laughter as his jaw hit the dirt. He looked so ridiculous, his blond beard waving as he tried in vain to summon the mental prowess to close his jaw.

_"Haddock. Hiccup. Haddock."_ He blinked. "How many of his bones did you break."

"None. But it took his brain a few days to recover from what happened next," I grinned toothily.

(To clarify for any of you dirty minded veiwers, she just kissed the living heck out of him, not... That)

Uncle Finn just shook his head and rubbed his face. "Six years ago I never thought we would be in this sort of situation." he said, going even paler as the still glowing Stormfly finally recovered and stomped up behind me.

"So, I'm guessing it's the Flightmare-Lightmare's attack, that, that made you freeze back then." I said, scratching Stormfly's jaw. "Seeing as she's not been filling you two with holes after you shot her."

He grunted in affirmation.

"Never felt a twitch of fear all house years ago. Maybe a bit itchy while I was frozen, but no fear."

I vaulted onto Stormfly's back, shaking river water out of my boots, mentally making a note to ask Hiccup to make me some new ones. "Come on, old man, let's go!"

He grinned ho me in the same way I had done to him. He was just asking bro me to break his arm. Good old Uncle Finn. He'd never treated me as a useless. He taught me to use my axe.

I was filled with relief and joe that he was alive. He was like my dad after the real one died. I relied on his parental affection when Mom was distant and unreachable. He and Hiccup had helped me through almost everything.

I felt a little twinge of guilt. Hiccup didn't have a mother, and his dad was, well, his dad. Not much of a sense of comfort. The opposite years. All thoes years of the worst Father Berk had ever seen, wow, how did Hiccup not give up on him?

He probably felt pretty unloved there for a while, even after I forced him to sit still long enough to be my friend.

I certainly changed that, I thought with a little smirk, already wishing he was back. I was snapped out of my thoughts as Uncle Finn began talking again.

"Oh, am I going to meet your husband."

"Maybe," I answered. "He's house hunting.

I watched as he swung onto Lightmare's back. Another Dragon Rider. He was gonna love the festival tomorrow!

HICCUP'S POV

"It makes so much sense bud! Its like your all bees. She's your queen, you gather her food and risk your life in the process. It controls you!" I ranted to Toothless.

He made a noise of agreement under me of agreement, and I felt awful.

That thing could tear my old home on itchy armpit apart without even trying! It nearly swallowed me and Toothless whole. Granted, we weren't the biggest duo in the archipelago, but still!

I tore off my helmet and placed it on a small hook that could fold back into the saddle. With the helmet away, cold air whipped at my face, cooling my head. I ran my hands through my hair, fingering the little braids Astrid left in them.

Ohhhhhh man. And the Festival, _tomorrow. _Ung!

I collapsed onto Toothless's back, head resting on one of his spines. I needed to get my mind off of this, or I would go mad.

"Hey, Bud," I called, getting his attention. "You wanna steer for a bit? Try out the new system?"

After the trouble he had steering during Drago's invasion, I had modified his flight. Taking away the solo pedals, I replaced them with loops above his forelegs that he could tug to manipulate the fins. There was a leaver that switched it from my control to his.

He grunted his consent, and I switched it to self control setting. As he did, I began to do a safety and maintenance inspection. "Shedding season soon, Bud?"

Doing general health checks, safety inspections, and minor maintenance cleared my head, get that monster out of my head. Toothless eventually got the hang of the fins and continued flying to the Screaming Death safe house.

In the past five years, Toothless had from nearly two thirds bigger than his old size. His grey splotches had darkened to nonexistence, making him a solid, uniform black. He had grown several new protrusions on his jaw, and the more prominent scales on his head had evened out to a defined pattern.

I marvled at how much both he and I had changed over the years, and idly wondered if my old bullies had too.

I was just beginning to wrap the inspection up when the clouds started to go dark over us. "That's odd. It was clear sky's just a second ago." Toothless raised an eye ridge in confusion as well.

The smell wasn't quite right ether. Storms usually smelled of lightning bu. This was just way too much of the stench. It was overpowering and assaulted my nostrils so badly I shoved my helmet back over my head. For once I was grateful it cut off all air to my nose.

I looked at the storm clouds, and suddenly there was a roar behind me. A thunderdrum. Probably Thornado joining me after a fishing trip. He would do that when my our trick flights or patrols coincided with his fishing trips with Scauldy and some Sea Shockers.

"Hey, Thornad-WHAT!"

The thunderdrum wasn't Thornado. It was the same size, but the resemblance ended there. It was dark red with black dots. It had multiple broken teeth, coupled with scars that laced its wide body. Shiny silver armor covered it's back and belly, even though it must have been heavy for the poor thing.

But there was no pain in it's eyes, just anger. It had turned feral!

But my gut dropped when I looked up and saw something I never expected, or _wanted _to see.

Sitting on a leather saddle strapped to the feral Thunderdrum, a sadistic, mangled toothed smile on his face, hands gripping the reins so tight his knuckles were white, was _Nuttnut. _

ASTRID'S POV

"So, that's everyone and their dragons, except Hiccup," I finished, Uncle Finn walking behind me.

"So, that's it? No new nieces or nephews?" He said cheekily.

He deserved the punch to the face I gave him next. He really, really did.

All afternoon he'd been teasing me about being a married woman. My uncle was the most infuriating man I knew after Hiccup.

He reeled, clutching his face, but ether he was masochist or thought it was too funny to stop.

"Everyone? Really? No little Hiccstrids running about, baby Night Furies and Deadly Nadders, and the like in their tiny grasps, while he wraps his arm around you and-"

WHAM! The butt of my axe hit his neck, and he fell over, wheezing and laughing at the same time.

"Your a jerk." I told him.

"Yup," he coughed, "Yes, I am!"

The twins and Thuggory were in tears on the ground, clutching their sides. I wrestled Drageblod from Uncle Finn and weilded it in my left hand, my regular axe, the one Hiccup crafted for me, Kjærlighet, in my right hand.

I advanced on them and they screamed, running away In terror. I smirked in delight as they retreated, planning my revenge for later.

The dragons laid around the Safehouse Hub Room. Stormfly, Meatlug and Lightmare sat in a circle, talking dragon at each other, while Scauldy, Torch and Stokehead were fast asleep on the other side of the room.

Without warning, Hiccup's Hoard-the name of the small band of dragons that, for whatever reason, followed Hiccup blindly, shot up looked at each other. One by one their members-One-Eye, Bruiseface, Sharpshot, Thornado, Skullcrusher- all dissapeared out the hole the dragons used for coming and going, flooring me and Uncle Finn.

I looked up to see Skullcruher's tail and Sharpshot disappear.

"What the-" I said, getting up on my hands and knees. "GUYS, LETS GO!"

HICCUO POV

"HEELLLLLOOOOOO!" Nuttnut cackled from atop the feral thunderdrum. He waved like we had been buddies at some point.

"Hellooo! HiccccuuuP!" he popped the "p," at the end of my name.

"Nuttnut?" I gasped in shock, grabbing the leaver that controlled which system manipulated Toothless's fins and set them back to my control. If this became a fight, we needed to be able to manuver as quickly as possible.

"Yeeeesssssssss Hiccup," the insane Thorsten smiled. "Llooooong time, noooooo see. I waaaass so hoooooping to find yooooou again." In the five years, Nuttnut had grown to my height and was rippling with muscle, one of his is risks still bigger than the other. He had a scar running across his face, from his temple, across his nose, to the corner of his chin, and his dirty blond hair hung in matts like a wild animal. He was wearing spiked shoulderpads and patchwork leather armor that was dirty and torn, mixed in with filthy furs. His helmet was scratched and dented, adorned with horns that went downwards the. crurved forwards, like an animal's tusks. He looked like the definition of a savage human.

Suddenly his smile became serious and evil. "So we can kill you!" The feral Thunderdrum lunged forwards.

We dove as its jaw snapped around where we had been. "Ohhhhhh quick little Hiccup. No wonder you chose the fastest dragon alive. All your good at is building trinkets and running away!"

I would have scowled, but I was too dumbfounded at the sight in front of me. "Nuttnut, you're on a dragon, what are you doing?!"

"Our mission," a voice that made my gut wrench said below me, and Toothless and I shot up.

Below us was Snotlout on a Monsterous Nightmare. It looked less feral than Nuttnut's Thunderdrum, but more determined and scared. There was no winning it over.

His. Nightmare looked a lot like Bruiseface, except with a few key differences. My Nightmare had tines on his horns, and had dark patches were his bruises used to be, and was slightly bigger and longer. But Snotlout's looked remarkably similar, save for the armor Snotlout's was clad in, all shiny and spiky.

Snotlout himself had not grown much in height, which sparked a twinge of smugness inside me. But his muscle was more apparent, and face more mature. He had a funny little excuse for facial hair on his upper lip. He wore scale armor, and his shoulders were dropped in black fur. His helmet now had larger, white tipped curly horns. He was holding a hammer which was so huge it looked oddly ridiculous with him holding it.

He grinned stupidly at me, and I snarled, reaching for Inferno and Ember. Without warning, a bright blue Scuttleclaw rushed past us.

"TANTRUM?! YOU TOO!" I yelled, and looked the rider on the armored Scuttleclaw. The snooty girl of Berk hadn't changed much, and she had attire similar to Astrid's old clothes,shoulder guards, a spiked skirt, a red tunic, leggings. She had fur arm guards and a fur hood, and the poor Scuttleclaw looked scared beyond reason.

The next to join was Dogsbreath on, slightly amusingly, the pink Gronckle from the arena. The thing had been to lazy to leave when. I opened the cages But it had grown darker in color, so, eh, a _little _more menacing. Dogsbreath was clad in fur and metal armor, and carried a large mace.

I was surrounded by the four new riders, all circling around me and Toothless. He snarled under me, unsheathing his teeth, plasma building up, ready to fire. I glared at them extending my swords and lit them up lighting the darkness around us. The storm clouds became thicker, black vapor surrounding us. Lightning sparked at random, lighting up each rider for a brief time.

"What is this?" I said. "H-How did you, _why _did you."

"Why, you taught us, Hiccup. You and Drago..." A voice said above us.

I looked up, and my gut dropped.

Above us was A skrill, armor-less, and lightning snaked all over its body. It was no normal skrill. Normal skrills looked nothing like that.

It was black, with some hints of purple, and streaks of glowing blue. Its eyes glowed blue, as did its horns and bit's of its wings. Large jagged teeth jutted out of its lower jaw.

The claws on its wings were twice the size of a normal skrill's, and the spikes on its back were long. Very long. It's muscly tail whipped out behind it, long and covered in deadly electricity. Its spikes and claws glowed blue. A Skrill Titan.

And sitting on top of it on a black leather saddle, covered in leather armor and coated in the gel all over the Skrill's body, wearing a grin that bespoke more dangerous insanity than Nuttnut, more pride than Tantrum, more lack of morals than Dogsbreath, and more determination to shove me into the dirt than Snotlout, was Dagur.

I froze for a moment, as did Toothless.

Titan Dragons were as rare as they come. Even in a species as numerous as Madders, you could only get, probobly, one in a thousand. And skrills were rare at best.

This skrill was as unique as Toothless.

I leveled my swords, and he hearted his own broadsword.

"Hiccup, what's it been, five years? How have you been, Weakling?" He said casually.

"Dagur!" I said, trying for a demand, but it came out as shell shocked. "How, how, _why _are the's dragons following you?"

He laughed at my question for a really, really long time. To the point where. I started looking around uncomfortably by the end of it.

"Hohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohoho, Hiccup. Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup. You've been gone so long. Figures you'd be out of the loop."

He sniggered again, so Snotlout spoke up.

"Berk is different now, Hiccup. Dragons are no longer the enemy. They are our loyal servants. Because they know what happens if they disobey." He looked at the Nightmare with a disgusting grin.

"But some, like Merciless up there," he gestured to the Titan Skrill, "follow us willingly. Eh, some dragons just want to watch the world burn." He chuckled. "A year after you left, a man named Drago came to Berk. Well, I say "came," but it's more like "conqured." some left, some sayed-"

"Yes, yes, I know that," I inturrupted. "Cami and Sven told me. But-"

"But we," Snotlout continued self-importantly, "swore ourselves to Drago. And in turn, he made us his enforcers, with our very own dragons! And our mission," he grinned. "Make you scream as loudly as possible before you die."

I looked around me at the dragons. Five large, powerful dragons, against me and Toothless. I deactivated my blades and stuffed them into their holds.

"Let's go, Bud," I whispered and he roared, making the first move by hitting Snotlout's Nightmare with a plasma blast. They flew back, and the other dragons swarmed us.

I sent Toothless into a dagurs and Tantrum foremost on our tails. "Too esposed in the open, bud," I looked down, and saw a canyon. "Let's get some defense!"

We flew into the canyon' enemies close behind us.

We barrel rolled over a jutting rock, but Tantrum and the Scutttleclaw slammed into it, her fellows easily dodging. Dogsbreath even rolled his eyes and urged his gronckle forward.

Toothless growled and I took out my sheild from the storage compartment hidden on Toothless's side, a small version of the one I gave to Gobber with Toothless curling around it. (DoB sheild)

I put it in crossbow mode and twisted, pulling it back to fire.

"What's that supposed to be, a-" Snotlout said cockily, but got no further as he and his Nightmare became tangled in bolas.

"AHHHHHHH!" He screamed as he plumeted.

I pulled it back again, but the Skrill Titan shot a blast before I could fire. It hit the shield and I dropped it before the electricity could get to me.

"Great, now I have to make a new one," I muttered

Several rocks still jutted out of the canyon walls again, and we darted around all of them, behind us, all but Dagur and the Titan Skrill struggling to follow.

Without warning, Nuttnut, and his Thunderdrum dropped in front of us. The Thuderdrum's roar blew me and Toothless backwards, into one of the protrusions, and the claws of Tantrum's dragon slammed into Toothless's chest, and nearly crushed me into the wall.

I managed wrest a sword out an activate it, and I swung Ember's flames wildly to get the scuttleclaw's attention. It worked, and the larger dragon became focused on it. I put the word away and took out a ball of dragon nip, throwing it away.

The scuttleclaw folloed it, releasing us, and we fell a few feet before flying up. Dogsbreath and Dagur began firing, but we weaved around their shots, barrel rolling over Nuttnut, and I slammed Inferno's blade into his helmet.

"OW!" He yelled and fell onto the thunderdrum's wing, pulling the reins as he fell. In doing this, he accidentally directed the dragon directly into the wall of the canyon.

"Goodbye, armatures," I yelled behind me, but we were soon faced with the wall of the canyon ending. Above us, Dogsbreath hovered, and at our backs were the others. Snotlout had managed to get himself and his Nightmare out of the bolas, and they were clinging to the cliff below us, ready to intercept if we dove.

"End of the line, Hiccup," Dagur growled.

Toothless and I twisted around. I took out Inferno to join Ember in my hands, and I spun them into regular grip. They had us cornered.

"Any last words?!" Nuttnut cackled. I just scowled at him.

The enemy dragons prepared to fire, and-

"Get away from my Hiccup!" Someone yelled. Even with murder, and rage, that voice was sweet as honey to me, because it was Astrid's.

The Dragon Riders, and my Hoard, descended from the sky.

"What the-" Dagur said, before he and Merciless had to duck under a nadder spine.

Fishlegs and Meatlug, who was now twice the size of the pink gronckle, tackled the Dogsbreath duo. Fishlegs slammed his hammer into Dogsbreath's gut, and the viking wheezed in pain. Meatlug bit at the gronckle and slammed her tail into its side. Dogsbreath and the gronkle got free of the duo, but was thrown to the side by an explosion from Skullcrusher.

The Rumblehorn and Fishlegs pursued him down the canyon.

Snotlout and the Nightmare flew up, but Bruiseface slammed into him. Nightmare and Nightmare wrestled, and Snotlout raised his hammer and prepared to give Bruiseface another right to his name, but Thuggory and Stokehead flew by, the Timberjack angling then slapping Snotty off of his dragon with his tail.

The twins went for Nuttnut, yelling. Torch started spinning into his fire disk.

"THIS-IS-FOR-ALL-THE-YEARS-OF-FEAR!" Tuff yelled, and they crashed into the side of the Timberjack. The feral dragon roared and it's other side was slapped by the tail of Scualdy.

The feral duo snarled and Nuttnut drew his sword, and leapt from the fiery circle that was Torch and onto Scauldy. He raced down her neck and slashed at Ruffnut.

The female Thorsten ducked under and drew her weapon, the sickle at the end of a chain, and swung the links to wrap around her cousin's legs, before kicking him off her dragon. He hung from the side of the dragon, but his face was soon attacked by Sharpshot. "AGGGGHHHH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" He yelled as the green Terrible Terror bit his nose like a dog with a treat.

His Thunderdrum roared as Torch finally beat it into a wall. The roar sent the Typhoomerang backwards, but found itself matched with Thornado.

Astrid leapt after Tantrum, axe in hand, landing on the Scuttleclaws head. "Hate to see you you prissy little munge-bucket!" She swung her axe down, and Tantrum yelped, dashing across the large dragon's back. The dragon itself battled Stormfly and One-Eye.

Astrid perused her with a battle cry.

Dagur growled at the chaos around them, and I flew Toothless in front of them with a grin on my face, swords held in reverse grip. "Wives, eh? They just can't stay out of your buissness!"

"You miserable-" he was cut off as a beam of light hit him and Merciless.

They went stiff, as did Merciless. They began to plummet, down into the canyon. Dagurs seemingly couldn't move his lips or tongue as he screamed, "IIIIIIIIIIIIII-UUUUUUUU" as he fell into the blackness.

I looked up and saw a man on a flightmare. "Well, welcome aboard, Dragon Rider." I called up to him with a grin.

"I expect nieces!" He yelled back, and my faced moved into confusion. "Wha-"

He pulled his hood back.

"Finn Hofferson?!" I yelled in shock, then mortification as. I understood what he meant. "WHAT!"

I looked to Astrid, who paused from beating Tantrum to a pulp to shake her head in annoyance. "Lets, let's discuss it later, right Babe?" She said.

"Yeah." I gulped.

* * *

><p>We were flying over the sea. We had left the enforcers in ruin in that canyon, and Astrid had explained the whole thing to me.<p>

Finn Hofferson was annoying. I knew that from the moment I met him. He took no shame in openly teasing anyone with any point he could to get them to squirm. While it was all good fun, it made people watch what they tell him.

I rubbed my head after another insinuation from the former "Fearless."

"Asty, control your uncle!"

"HOW!" She yelled back, and I just banged my head into Toothless's riding handles. "Uhhhhh." I didn't know, so I suffered Finn Hofferson's laughter.

We just flew for a while after that. The sun began to rise, and I looked at Astrid, a broad smile on my face. I knew we wouldn't have to face the Dragon Tyrant on our own, or Drago!

"The festival."

"The festival." She grinned back with equal joy.

"What festival," Finn asked.

"Heheheheh, he doesn't know," Tuffnut sniggered to his sister, and then a blank look came over his face. "Wait, what festival?"

"Thor give me strength," Astrid muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Well, Finn," I started. "Apparently Berk Vikings have more stubborness issues than most, because some of the other tribes wern't as hard headed...

(Listen to "Where No One Goes," by Jonsi during this next part)

A swamy island came into view, and Toothless and I skimmed the water, creating a giant splash as we came over the landmass. In the forest was a large village located above a river. It was built into the sides of a valley, with a rainforest around it. The place was filled with vikings... And DRAGONS!

Theft Island, home of the Bog Burglars! And this year's host of the Festival!

The Festival was a conglomeration of the Bogs, and their male counterparts, the Bashem Oiks, the two tribes we had managed to convince about dragons.

The Bashem Oik's ship was docked at their harbor, and their riders were sitting around town, resting with a Snapptrapper guarding it.

Pew zipped through the streets at high speeds, nearly knocking over a pair of Bashem Oiks, one on a Stormcutter resembling One-Eye, and the other on a black and red bellied rumblehorn both holding books. The one on the Stormcutter got hit by Toothless's wing and plummeted into the river below the buildings.

Around us were people on dragons.

Some of the Teens who had abandoned Berk, Cami, Heather, Sven, Speedifist, and Eret, flew around us on their dragons.

"Hey!" Cami waved from atop her grey Grapple Grounder. Three Smothering Smokebreaths flew alongside her.

I waved back and Toothless climbed into the clouds, with Astrid and Thuggory behind me.

I pulled back, and we fell backwards, an excited noise came from Toothless, and a girl on a odd sort of dragon I'd never seen before flew past. I shrugged it off and we plummeted through a hole in the clouds.

Thuggory and a flock of Timberjacks flew above me, shading us in their wings. I set a toothless to Self-Control and stood up on his back as Cami joined us. "Check this out, Boggie!"

I leapt off of Toothless, skydiving one hundred feet, before extending my glider, the Night Fury like wings unfurling with a SNAP!

"Woa!" She gasped, and I flipped on them to grin at her.

Astrid was scowling playfully, and I rolled my eyes, and felt Toothless pull up under me. I closed the glider and flopped onto his back, setting control back to me as we fell back into the village.

I flew under the "Dragon Festival" banner, Toothless's spines lightly skimming it and creating a small tear in The fabric.

Toothless and I barrel rolled, diving into the water twice, getting completely soaked, but the adrenaline in my veins didn't allow me to care about that minor detail as he shot a random plasma blast off, knocking the floor out from under that Bashem Oik with the stormcutter as his friend with the rumblehorn tried to help him out. Both fell into the water with a loud splash.

I held my arms up and yelled, "WOOOOOOOO!" With all the air my lungs could offer as we did a loop-de-loop, and spun.

We would have to deal with the Dragon Tyrant.

We would have to deal with Drago.

But we wouldn't be alone, I thought as I jumped off Toothless and gave Astrid a big post stunt victory kiss, and hugged her.

Two tribes were behind us on dragons.

Not bad eh?

**Some points**

**the name of Finn's Axe is Dragon Blood. But Astrid's axe's name means Love, since Hiccup made it for her. No one but Hiccup knows its name, though. **

**I SWEAR TOOTHLESS LOOKED BIGGER IN HTTYD 2. That's just how I saw it. No flames on that point please. **

**The design for the Skrill Titan is from the Rise of Berk video game. A regular skrill just wasn't dramatic enough. **

**Also, I'm considering changing the name of this fic to Not Alone. What do you guys think?**

**Rev****iew**

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**Rev****iew **

**Have a great whatever-point-in-time-you-read-this-everyone**


	12. The Scribes Fight

**Not-Alone-Hiccup is here!**

**And I know this isn't my most read story, but it's my longest. **

**Here's to supersandman86 for being the best idea guy a person could ask for!**

**HICCUP HAS TO BE PERSUASIVE. **

HICCUP'S POV

I sat at the chieftains' table with Bertha, Cheiftess of the Bog Burgalers, and Lockjaw, the leader of the Bashem Oiks.

I was by far the tiniest of the three, but no less welcome for it. Bertha and Lockjaw were giants in their own right, up there with Alvin, Drago, and Stoick, but I had fought both to standstills, earning their respect.

And there was he fact I gave them the key to their current way of life with Dragons.

The mountainous Vikings danced beside me, utterly drunk from the festivities.

I quietly got up, trying to sneak back to my small but loud clan, when Bertha grabbed me by the glide and hoisted me back.

"Hiccup, mah boy!" She said, heafting me in the air. Even at over six feet tall, I was still getting lugged around by my clothes!

Toothless snorted beside me, and Lockjaw chuckled silently. The older chief was compleatly silent by choice. He didn't need words, his ice blue eyes, white hair, and milky skin made every glare or pointed look as sharp as a stab from any spear.

But with the eyes of ice now clouded over, he looked like a deluded polar bear, stumbling around and limbs flailing.

Bertha huffed me to her side, nearly crushing my bones. "You are such an inspiration, Hiccup," she slurred drunkenly. Now I was certain she was completely gone because she was actually giving me compliments, not degrading remarks about my gender and innuendos about me and Astrid.

I looked pleasingly at my best buddy Night Fury. He just rolled his eyes at me and held up his tail, still covered in the metal framework.

_Vengeance for the metal tail, _his eyes screamed at me, fully loaded with smugness.

"I mean, you took the deadliest dragon alive," she continued, and Toothless puffed himself up with pride, "and made it a pussycat with wings."

Toothless morphed into a state of shock, his wings and jaw going limp and eyes widening to be bigger than my entire face. Then he switched to "Deadly Fury," mode, crouching low and snarling at the drunken leader of the Bogs.

She waved my dragon friend off with a hand. My black dragon's jaw dropped again as she did this, and he moodily returned to his fish.

Theft's great hall was filled with Burglars and Oiks, dancing and drinking. Even worse were the drunken dragons.

I saw a Zippleback coating a table of passed out Vikings in gas, and a Seashocker playing with a few Vikings. "Playing," being defined as as shooting at their feet, making them do an odd jig.

The worst was a Nadder trying to challenge one of the decorative wooden dragon heads on the wall.

With mortification, I realised the Nadder was Stormfly, her rider laughing hysterically with Thuggory and Tuffnut.

Fishlegs and Ruffnut had vanished, and I really didn't care to know where they had gone, and the former Berkians, Camicazi, Sven and Eret, were wandering aimlessly, occasionally getting into fights for no apparent reason.

Finn Hofferson was in a fistfight with a Hofferson from the Bog tribe, wile Gobber was banging the Bogs' blacksmith on the head with his prosthetic hammer, though he really didn't look angry.

Bertha spun me around a bit more and sung my praises for a full minuet before freezing. Her big brown eyes rolled into her head, and the mountainous woman tipped backwards slowly, like a chopped down tree.

With a huge crash, she landed on her back, fast asleep. I wriggled out of her grasp, and over to Toothless. "Well thank you for the assist bud," I said sarcastically, and he rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on, are _you_ drunk too?! I've been apologizing about your tail for the past five years!"

He made a groaning sound and glared at me. He got pouty when he was drunk, and a pouty Night Fury was ornery as Hel.

Suddenly Gobber's hammer nearly desalinated me as it flew past. The tool's owner was passed out on the table, the Bog smith planting her foot proudly on his chest.

I sighed, shaking my head. Was I the only sane viking alive?

Wait, I take that back. "Sane Viking," is an oxymoron.

The fires blazed in the hall, and I finally managed to sneak out of the hall. Skullcrusher and One-Eye were sleeping outside, on one of the villages dock's over the river. Thornado was asleep in the water, and Bruiseface had vanished.

The swampy village was almost abandoned, with most of its population celebrating the anniversary of their peace with dragons. We had racing, battling and a stunt show. Me and Toothless had won the stunts, but Astrid and Stormfly had beat us in the races.

As for the battles, Thuggory and Stokehead had tore through the competition. Never get in the way of a competitive Timberjack _or _a competitive former Meathead in a battle competition. It's just asking for trouble!

Off at the edge of the village were two dragon riders casting off. They were the ones with the Stormcutter and Rublehorn I had knocked into the water.

Rumblebone and Sandhead, scribes of the Bashem Oiks. Not to large themselves, their brutish dragons more than made up for their physical prowess. I watched them go, off on a mission to the North to find more tribes. They were not the most effective explorers, but they did their job best they could.

I had met them, and could tell they much preferred the writing of tales to exploring.

As the pair disappeared into the darkness, I heard a creaking behind me. Astrid stumbled out of the hall, completely smashed.

She muttered something unintelligable, and I smiled, helping her up. "Great job beating up Tantrum," I told her.

"S'nuthin'," she muttered. "Big prissy."

"Yup." I hugged her closer, closing my eyes and thinking about the Dragon Tyrant. Her huge head slammed into my vision, and I shook a little.

"Babe?" Astrid said, sensing my discomfort. "Wasswong?"

"Nothing," I said, rubbing her shoulder. "I'll tell you in the morning."

RUMBLEBONE'S POV

"So, just keep heading North," I called over to Sandy. He was sitting on his Rumbleorn, Banger, gliding along, while I leaned against Qwing's neck, arms behind my head.

"That's the plan," he yelled back.

"Ah."

The cold north winds whipped at us. Thankfully we were wearing our dragon riding suits, that included facial masks, so it didn't really bother us.

"Has Hiccup even been this far up before?" Sandy said.

"Nope. I think he likes the south more. Less white to make his Night Fury stick out like a sore thumb."

"Yeah."

"So how's your book goin'."

"Pretty good. You?"

"Same-WOA!" Qwing lurched under me. Banger roared nervously, and. I grabbed into a saddlebag, bringing out a long staff with axe blades at both ends. Sandy armed himself with a metal hammer shaped like Banger's head.

Out of the clouds shot a blue and brown Snafflefang. Qwing hit it in the face with his tail, sending it tumbling away. More and more dragons shot out at us, coming from all angles.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Sandy yelled, knocking away a Nightmare as it tried to eat him.

"Don't know!" I yelled back, fending off a Zippleback.

We hadn't needed to fight Dragons for years. I had never done it at all, neither had Sandy. The Bashem Oiks lived fairly unnoticed by the raids, the one or two we had I had just hid.

But these dragons were focused solely on us. Qwing shot a blast of fire at a hotburple who tried to brain me, and I ran to the has of her tail to stop a Hackatoo trying to chop her.

Banger slammed his tail into a Grapple Grounder, and shot the face of a Gronckle near Sandy's head. I ducked as fire raced towards my face, courtesy of a deadly Nadder.

"Sand, you got any Dragon Nip?!"

"Sorry Rumbles, no dice, we're clean out!"

"This is bad!"

I pulled at Qwing's saddle and we shot upwards into the clouds. "Let's get some breathing room!"

Sandy and Banger followed close behind, but so did the swarm of dragons. I tried my best to find any of the dragon calming plant, but we were clean out of it, just like Sandy said.

"This is really bad!" I yelled as the Zippleback from earlier snapped at me. I ducked under the gas head, and slammed my elbow into the sparker's neck.

"Your telling me! The missus will resurrect, then _murder _me if I die without letting her know first!"

We were on the defensive, parrying off dragon heads and dodging fire balls.

At one point in the battle, a tiny bumpy mass hit me in the face. I stumbled and caught it, shaking my head to clear my vision. A baby Gronckle?

Suddenly I looked up and it's pitch black parent was barreling at me, almost knocking me off of Qwing.

Sandy slammed his hammer down on a Nightmare's head, then kicked a Hobblegrunt away.

"Rumble, how much longer can we keep this up?!"

"Not a lot. Not. A. Lot!" I yelled in panick as a Snafflefang swong its tail at me. I laid down flat on Qwing's back to avoid it, and my Stormcutter bit it in the leg, and swung the Nadder relative away.

It disappeared into the clouds with a screech, replaced by a snapptraper!

"It's-times-like-these-," I yelled, dodging each head's bite while Qwing defended against a pair of Nadders. "I wish-we-had-Night-Furies!" Qwing roared indignantly, and one of Banger's blasts singed my head.

My friend nodded as he jumped on Banger to avoid a Hobblegrunt strike, which his Rumblehorn rammed it in the chest.

Soon we were out of breath and panting heavily, and something moved under the clouds.

I peered down. "Buddy, what is-"

a huge brown Stormcutter, even bigger than Qwing, or One-Eye, shot out of the clouds, casting a shadow over us both.

On his head was a figure in blue, horned armor, with an impressive looking staff.

"Uh," I yelled, "Oik, or Bugler?"

Sandy just shrugged in response, but was suddenly snatched from Banger's back from a Hobblegrunt.

The exoression on his face was so funny, I just couldn't resist laughing- until a gang of Smokebreakths carried me off.

A hoard of Scuttleclaws engulfed our dragons, and the blue rider looked on from its mask as we were carried off.

**Short filler chapter, I know. I just felt I needed to update so it wouldn't seem like I abandoned it. Next chapter may not be for a bit. Sorry. **


End file.
